DHS: West Africa Travelers Must Fly Through Ebola Screening Airports

Passengers mingle in the arrivals area at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2014. Health screening procedures were put in place at the airport today to check the health of people... Passengers mingle in the arrivals area at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2014. Health screening procedures were put in place at the airport today to check the health of people arriving Ebola affected countries. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle) MORE LESS
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The Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday that it was implementing travel restrictions for visitors from West Africa in order to prevent the spread of the Ebola virus.

Travelers from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea — the three countries affected by the current outbreak — will be required to transit through New York’s JFK, Newark, Washington’s Dulles, Chicago or Atlanta, according to DHS. Enhanced screening measures have been implemented at those airports, including taking passengers’ temperature.

“We are working closely with the airlines to implement these restrictions with minimal travel disruption,” DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson said in a statement. “If not already handled by the airlines, the few impacted travelers should contact the airlines for rebooking, as needed.”

The travel restrictions go into effect Thursday.

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