Airlines ask CDC to review declarations on stays in the DR Congo — The Hill

Aviation associations IATA and Airlines for America have asked the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to review new requirements for passengers traveling to the United States. The rules were introduced amid an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, The Hill reports.

Under the CDC order, all passengers and crew members on flights to the United States, including U.S. citizens, must confirm before traveling that they have not been in the DR Congo during the 21 days before departure. The requirements are set to take effect on November 3.

Air carriers' concerns

The International Air Transport Association (IATA), which brings together more than 370 airlines from over 130 countries, called the requirement to arrange the collection of declarations in less than two weeks unjustified. The association also questioned why the rules apply only to air travel and not to sea and land transport.

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The Airlines for America group, which includes United, Delta and Southwest, among others, supported these concerns. In a letter to the CDC, the organization said that the allotted time would not be sufficient to promptly make changes to passenger check-in systems, introduce digital signatures, update airport procedures and train staff.

Outbreak data

As of October 19, the World Health Organization reported 9,637 confirmed cases of the rare Bundibugyo Ebola strain in the DR Congo, 4,646 of which resulted in death. According to government data, the number of infected people had exceeded 10,000 by Tuesday.

The outbreak was declared in mid-May, several months after it began in a remote part of eastern DR Congo. The virus spread to about seven provinces and neighboring countries, while Ituri province in the northeast of the country remains the epicenter.