Airport Alert: Coronavirus Update - European Travel Restrictions and TSA Guidance to FSDs
Following up on our Airport Alert and Call to Action yesterday, we wanted to provide you with the latest information regarding coronavirus related travel restrictions and TSA guidance to Federal Security Directors (FSDs).
Travel Restrictions
Last night, President Trump signed a Presidential Proclamation suspending and limiting the entry of all aliens who were physically present within the Schengen Area of 26 European countries during the 14-day period preceding their entry or attempted entry into the United States.
The Schengen Area comprises 26 European states: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
The proclamation does not apply to aliens who were present in the UK or Ireland, which are not Schengen area countries, provided they had not also been present in the Schengen area or any other countries covered by previous suspensions (People's Republic of China and Islamic Republic of Iran) during the 14-days preceding their entry or attempted entry into the U.S.
The suspension of entry does not apply to:
(i) any lawful permanent resident of the United States;
(ii) close family members (spouses, siblings, parents and guardians) of a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident;
(iii) air crew.
There are limited other exceptions, primarily related to official U.S. government business and members of the U.S. armed forces.
As a consequence of the exemption for air crew, this measure does not apply to cargo carriers.
The suspension of entry for affected persons will become effective at 11:59 p.m. eastern daylight time on March 13. However, it does not apply to persons aboard flights scheduled to arrive in the United States that departed prior to the entry into force.
The Department of Homeland Security announced that a supplemental Notice of Arrivals Restriction will be issued within the next 48 hours requiring U.S. passengers that have been in the Schengen Area to travel through the 11 select airports where enhanced screening procedures have been implemented enhanced screening procedures.
TSA Guidance to FSDs
As we reported yesterday, TSA is preparing planning guidance for its Federal Security Directors (FSDs) to assist in creating local plans to respond to any cases of suspected or confirmed COVID-19 at an airport. The guidance is expected to be issued to the field on Friday. In the meantime, Gary Renfrow, Assistant Administrator for Domestic Aviation Operations, sent the following message to FSDs last night.
Thank you for all that you continue to do to ensure freedom of movement of people and commerce, while caring for our workforce, local partners and the traveling public. We've taken several prudent steps:
- Authorized frontline personnel whose security screening tasks require them to routinely come into close contact with the traveling public to wear surgical masks if they choose to do so. In addition, all of our employees are being encouraged to regularly wash their handsand cover their coughs.
- TSA will continue to follow guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration regarding workforce protection. We have also put up CDC notices in TSA areas for public information on coronavirus.
- TSA has issued guidance on how to conduct routine cleaning and disinfecting of frequently touched surfaces and security screening equipment at the TSA security checkpoint. Employees are encouraged to wash their hands after cleaning and after removing their gloves.
- Bins in use in the security checkpoint are like any other piece of public property and should be treated as such. With hundreds of travelers coming through an airport security checkpoint each hour, the bins are a common use item. This is why TSA recommends travelers follow CDC guidelines and wash their hands before and after completing the security screening process. Travelers should place personal items such as wallets, keys or phone in their carry-on property to be screened through the X-ray system.
COVID-19 presents a challenge to everyone at the airport, and so for the next series of steps I need each of you to work closely with your local partners-airport, airlines, vendors, etc.-to refine detailed local planning that will raise the bar on preparations to avoid, detect, respond and recover from infection. You'll receive an invite to join a Field Call this Friday, when a few FSDs will discuss some lessons already learned in dealing with COVID-19. Also, you'll receive written planning guidance by Friday to assist in refining local plans. There's no need to wait on the guidance to get your local teams to the table to discuss plans, and here are a few things to implement immediately:
- Everyone should know who your local Public Health Official is and how to get hold of them 24-hours a day.
- As volume drops based on flight reductions, there is opportunity to further reduce exposure and also preserve "clean" space within our checkpoints.
The ability of an airport to minimize opportunity for the virus to spreadand ability to respond to infection is no greater than the airport's dirtiest area and least prepared entity-it behooves us to work together to shore up any gaps in our defenses. Thank you, and your partners, for all you do.
AAAE staff continues to work closely with all federal agencies and Capitol Hill as the situation continues to evolve and change rapidly. We will keep you updated as additional information becomes available. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact us if you need anything.
