US CBP announces designated arrival airports as 'proactive measure' in response to Ebola outbreak
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced (22-May-2026) modifications to arrival restrictions implemented by US Department of Homeland Security on 21-May-2026, which require US bound air services carrying individuals who have recently travelled from - or were otherwise present within - the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda or South Sudan to arrive at Washington Dulles International Airport. The modifications add Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport as a designated arrival facility from 22-May-2026 and Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport as a designated arrival facility from 26-May-2026. The "proactive measure" is in response to "the ongoing Ebola disease outbreak". CBP stated the designated airports are "where US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is focusing public health resources to implement enhanced public measures". [more - original PR]
Background ✨
US authorities previously used designated arrival airports for public-health screening, with DHS in Feb-2020 directing US citizens who had travelled in China to enter via seven airports including Atlanta, alongside quarantine and monitoring measures.1 DHS later expanded authorised China-arrival airports to 11, citing enhanced screening and quarantine capacity.2 The US Government also redirected travellers with recent Democratic Republic of the Congo travel to several US gateways for Ebola-related contact data collection.3