CHARLOTTE — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will require all passengers on U.S.-bound flights to sign a statement declaring they have not visited the Democratic Republic of Congo within the past 21 days.
The mandatory declaration, which takes effect Wednesday at midnight, comes in response to an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The trade association representing U.S. airlines has urged the CDC to reconsider the mandate, request supporting evidence, and clarify the expected public health benefits.
The decision comes about three weeks before the holiday travel season, when millions of passengers are expected to travel internationally.
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Travelers have expressed concerns over the potential return of health declarations similar to earlier pandemic travel rules. Chris Brokeman, a traveler, voiced skepticism regarding passenger compliance with new restrictions.
“Carrying your cards and making sure you had your vaccine, it was a pain; I don’t think people will put up with it again,” Brokeman said. “If it’s not a huge deal at the moment, they shouldn’t have to do it unless it gets super big.”
Other passengers noted that reporting recent international travel is already part of certain border entries. Sudharsa Maniven, a traveler, described existing declaration requirements.
“We have to declare what the last three countries we visited were in the last 14 days,” Maniven said.
Maniven explained that digital declaration tools have helped streamline some processes, though completing paperwork after long flights remains burdensome.
“They started coming on with this QR code, and you can just select the QR code and feed it on the way going outside,” Maniven said. “After traveling for 10, 14 hours, they come down and fill out forms. It is difficult.”
Airlines flying to the United States will be required to enforce the declaration rule starting Wednesday at midnight.