Photo courtesy of bloomberg.com
The United States Department of Homeland Security has initiated a policy of screening travelers from the three most Ebola stricken countries. Passengers flying out of Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone will be required to fly into one of five airports that have been chosen to provide mandatory, intensive evaluations for symptoms of the virus.
The restrictions were announced yesterday and will be going into effect today. All passengers from these countries, regardless of their places of origin, will be rerouted to one of these airports, being that there are no nonstop flights from any of the countries designated for restriction. Passengers, whether traveling by air or see will be routed to one of these national entry points.
The international airports chosen for providing the screenings are John F. Kennedy in New York, Newark in New Jersey, Dulles Washington, Atlanta Georgia, and O’Hare in Chicago.
These airports already account for approximately 94 percent of those traveling from the three countries. The other six percent, an average of nine passengers daily, have been arriving elsewhere. This indicates that travel disruption for the majority of people will be minimal.
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson gave a statement to the press: “We are working closely with the airlines to implement these restrictions with minimal travel disruption,” he said. “If not already handled by the airlines, the few impacted travelers should contact the airlines for re-booking, as needed.”
The newly implemented precautionary measures are intended to be an alternative to instituting a travel ban for the most affected regions. The virus has claimed more than 4,500 lives, making it the worst Ebola outbreak on record.
However, since the discovery of three cases in the U.S., claiming one life so far, there has been a push by lawmakers and the general public for the Obama administration to enact strict measures in order to prevent the spreading of the virus in the United States.
According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, three fourths of 1,602 surveyed are in favor of a ban on civilian air travel from these three countries. A Gallup poll on Tuesday indicated that Ebola has become one of the top 10 concerns for the general public. These attitudes have been on the incline, despite assurances from Centers for Disease Control officials that the likelihood of the virus becoming epidemic in the U.S. Are remote.
Adam Hall
Adam Randle Hall is another current writer for the Snowdrift. He is a Junior from Provo, Utah. Adam last attended UVU as a music major years ago, before discontinuing in order to pursue his artistic endeavors in creating film and song writing. After four years experience in both mediums and with local communities, he has decided to return to school at Snow to further his education. Adam began attending Snow this Fall of 2012, and is hoping to gain as many credits as he can here at Snow College. Though undecided as to his Major, due to his broad interests, he is investigating possibilities in the earth sciences, philosophy, and of course, journalism. His main focus in journalism has been his on-going interest in foreign policy, global economics, climatology, and sustainability. He has been following current events closely for years now through the press, non-fiction publications, and documentary films along with other forms of new media. Adam plays guitar and piano, and is always looking for others to collaborate with. He has acted, produced, assistant directed, consulted, and done sound for multiple films. He has a continued desire to participate with other artistic personalities, and is quite amenable to assisting with the projects of others, time permitting. Adam has enjoyed his new experience at Snow College, and finds campus and student life to be "quite the unique experience. Really, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now."