Mar 15, 2020
UPDATE - U.S. Adds United Kingdom and Ireland to Previously Announced Travel Restrictions
Jonathan A. Grode and Joshua H. Rolf
By Jonathan A. Grode and Joshua H. Rolf
Quick Takeaways:
- Effective 11:59 PM March 16, 2020, recent visitors to the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland will also be banned from traveling to the United States
- U.S. Citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents, immediate relatives of U.S. Citizens/Lawful Permanent Residents, and NATO/UN/Diplomatic personnel amongst those who continue to be exempted
- Travelers returning from restricted countries subjected to significant delays and uncertainty at designated airports as restrictions take effect
Within 24 hours of implementing a ban on all recent visitors to 26 Schengen Area countries, the President issued another Proclamation declaring its equal application to those traveling through the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. The Proclamation’s exemptions and implementation appear to be the same as prior versions, and it is scheduled to go into effect as of 11:59 PM EST on March 16, 2020. Flights departing before that time should continue as usual, with all passengers departing on March 17, 2020 subject to the widened restrictions.
According to Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”), the latest round of restrictions will require travelers from affected countries to be redirected to one of the following 13 airports:
- New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK);
- Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD);
- San Francisco International Airport (SFO);
- Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA);
- Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL);
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX);
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL);
- Washington-Dulles International Airport (IAD);
- Newark-Liberty International Airport (EWR);
- Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW);
- Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW);
- Boston Logan International Airport (BOS); and
- Miami International Airport (MIA), Florida
Reports emerging from these airports indicate travelers returning from Europe have received unclear and at-time contradictory messages while experiencing significant delays in securing baggage and proceeding through passport control. The acting head of CBP acknowledged these delays and assured the public that the agency and medical support personnel are working to improve conditions and processing times. Even still, travelers returning to the United States from abroad should continue to expect substantial disruption in their travel with respect to both flight availability and after they reach the country. As of right now, with states and municipalities considering imposing more stringent limits on their residents’ internal movement, the Federal Government as indicated that domestic limitations on travel have not been seriously discussed.
We at Green and Spiegel remain dedicated to providing up-to-date guidance on this quickly evolving situation as it becomes available. Please do not hesitate to call our office should you have any questions to how the coronavirus affects your international travel or internal status within the United States.