The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is directing airlines to provide the agency with the names and contact information of passengers who have entered the United States since Nov. 29 and had been in southern Africa the prior two weeks. Airlines must turn the information over within 24 hours of the flight’s arrival into the U.S.
The directive, in effect indefinitely, applies to travelers from the Republic of Botswana, the Kingdom of Eswatini, the Kingdom of Lesotho, the Republic of Malawi, the Republic of Mozambique, the Republic of Namibia, the Republic of South Africa and the Republic of Zimbabwe.
The order, which does not mention the omicron variant specifically, is to “prevent the importation and spread of a communicable disease of public health importance.”
Delta and United are currently the only two carriers that offer flights between the U.S. and countries covered by the CDC order.
ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett, Sam Sweeney and Mina Kaji
