Follow-Up: U.S.-Bound '21-Day Attestation' Takes Effect November 3: Most Travelers Just Sign, Three Groups Must Change Plans

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) order issued on October 22 takes effect at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on November 3: from that moment, every passenger boarding an international flight to the United States, from any country of departure, must sign an attestation confirming they have not been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) during the 21 days before departure. GSM reported the order the day it was issued — CDC: From November 3, All U.S.-Bound Air Passengers Must Attest They Have Not Been in DR Congo in the Prior 21 Days — and as the news circulates on social media, this follow-up sets out exactly what travelers need to do.

The attestation applies regardless of nationality: U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, lawful permanent residents (green card holders) and passengers merely connecting through the United States are all covered; only flights that overfly the U.S. without landing are excluded. Each traveler files a separate attestation, and a parent or authorized person may sign for a traveler under 18. Airlines must collect and verify the declaration at check-in or boarding at the last foreign departure airport, on paper or by electronic checkbox or signature; passengers who do not complete it will not be allowed to board. Carriers must retain the forms for at least 42 days.

For the overwhelming majority of travelers — including anyone flying from China or elsewhere who has not been in the DRC during the prior 21 days — the rule is one extra signature: no quarantine, no testing and no advance preparation, and itineraries are unaffected. The viral version of the story is right that citizens, green card holders and transit passengers are all included, but the declaration concerns DRC travel history only; it is not a new quarantine regime for all arrivals.

The first group that must change plans is anyone who has been in the DRC within 21 days of departure. That includes passengers who only transited a DRC airport, even if they never left the aircraft: they may not board a U.S.-bound flight at all, U.S. citizens included, and must remain outside the United States until 21 days have passed since leaving the DRC, flying on Day 22 at the earliest. Travelers who visited outbreak-affected provinces of the DRC may face additional exit requirements from local authorities.

The second and third groups involve South Sudan and Uganda. Non-U.S. citizens and non-U.S. nationals — including green card holders — who have been in either country within 21 days of departure will not be allowed to enter the United States and should remain abroad for at least 21 days after leaving. U.S. citizens and nationals who have been in South Sudan or Uganda may enter, but their flights are rerouted through one of three designated airports — Washington-Dulles International Airport (IAD), Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) or John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) — for CDC public-health entry screening, including a travel-history and symptom questionnaire, a temperature check and observation, followed by enrollment in 21 days of automated health-monitoring text reminders.

The CDC also warns that willfully providing false or misleading information can lead to criminal fines and imprisonment, and airlines that fail to verify attestations face penalties of their own. The order responds to the current Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the DRC: the CDC's October 21 summary counts 9,735 confirmed cases and 4,690 confirmed deaths, the vast majority inside the DRC, and no cases linked to this outbreak have been reported in the United States. The 21-day window matches Ebola's maximum incubation period.

Travelers with upcoming U.S. trips should simply watch for their airline's check-in instructions and complete the attestation when prompted; anyone whose itinerary touches the DRC, Uganda or South Sudan should contact their airline now to rebook or adjust their plans.

Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)

Photo: 图：洛杉矶国际机场 Tom Bradley 国际航站楼值机大厅（资料图），赴美国际航班旅客将在值机环节完成声明。照片：Kgbo，经 Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 4.0。 / Photo: Check-in hall of the Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport (file photo), where U.S.-bound passengers complete check-in formalities. Photo by Kgbo, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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