83620 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 201 / Thursday, October 17, 2024 / Rules and Regulations 

1World Health Organization, Marburg 

Haemorrhagic Fever, https://www.afro.who.int/ 

health-topics/marburg-haemorrhagic-fever (last 

visited Oct. 7, 2024); and Centers for Disease 

Control and Prevention, History of Marburg Disease 

Outbreaks, https://www.cdc.gov/marburg/ 

outbreaks/index.html (last visited Oct. 7, 2024). 

2CDC, Marburg in Rwanda Travel Health 

Notice—Level 3, Reconsider Nonessential Travel 

(Oct. 7, 2024), https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/ 

notices/level3/marburg-rwanda. 

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND 

SECURITY 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection 

19 CFR Chapter I 

Arrival Restrictions Applicable to 

Flights Carrying Persons Who Have 

Recently Traveled From or Were 

Otherwise Present Within Rwanda 

AGENCY: U.S. Customs and Border 

Protection, Department of Homeland 

Security. 

ACTION: Announcement of arrival 

restrictions. 

SUMMARY: This document announces the 

decision of the Secretary of Homeland 

Security to direct all flights to the 

United States carrying persons who 

have recently traveled from, or were 

otherwise present within, Rwanda to 

arrive at one of the U.S. airports where 

the U.S. government is focusing public 

health resources to implement enhanced 

public health measures. For purposes of 

this document, a person has recently 

traveled from Rwanda if that person has 

departed from, or was otherwise present 

within, Rwanda within 21 days of the 

date of the person’s entry or attempted 

entry into the United States. Also, for 

purposes of this document, crew and 

flights carrying only cargo (i.e., no 

passengers or non-crew) are excluded 

from the measures herein. 

DATES: The arrival restrictions apply to 

flights departing after 11:59 p.m. Eastern 

Daylight Time on October 15, 2024. 

Arrival restrictions continue until 

cancelled or modified by the Secretary 

of Homeland Security and notice of 

such cancellation or modification is 

published in the Federal Register. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Stephanie Watson, Office of Field 

Operations, U.S. Customs and Border 

Protection at 202–255–7018. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Marburg Virus Disease (MVD), caused 

by the virus family Filoviridae, is a 

severe and often fatal disease. Disease 

transmission occurs via direct contact 

with bodily fluids (e.g., blood, mucus, 

vomit, urine) from people sick with 

MVD. The first known MVD cases were 

initially detected in 1967 after 

simultaneous outbreaks in Marburg and 

Frankfurt, Germany and in Belgrade, 

Serbia. Subsequently, outbreaks and 

sporadic cases have been reported in 

Angola, Ghana, Guinea, the Democratic 

Republic of the Congo, Kenya, South 

Africa (in a person with recent travel 

history to Zimbabwe), and Uganda.1

Two concurrent but unconnected 

outbreaks of MVD occurred in 

Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania in 

2023. This was both countries’ first 

MVD outbreak, which resulted in 

multiple deaths. MVD can have 

substantial medical, public health, and 

economic consequences if it spreads to 

densely populated areas as there are 

currently no licensed treatments for 

MVD. As such, MVD may present a 

threat to U.S. health security given the 

potentially high public health impact 

that an MVD outbreak could cause and 

the interconnectedness of countries 

through global travel. 

On September 27, 2024, Rwanda 

reported cases of MVD in several 

provinces around the country, largely 

related to two hospitals. As of October 

8, 2024, a total of 58 confirmed cases 

with 13 confirmed deaths have been 

reported from Rwanda. At present, most 

of the people infected are healthcare 

workers or their contacts. The Centers 

for Disease Control and Prevention 

(CDC) has issued a Travel Health 

Notice—Level 3, Reconsider 

Nonessential Travel.2

In order to assist in preventing or 

limiting the introduction and spread of 

this communicable disease into the 

United States, the Departments of 

Homeland Security and Health and 

Human Services (HHS), including CDC, 

and other agencies charged with 

protecting the homeland and the 

American public, are currently 

implementing enhanced public health 

measures at three U.S. airports that 

receive the largest number of travelers 

originating from Rwanda. To ensure that 

all travelers with recent presence in 

Rwanda arrive at one of these airports, 

DHS is directing all flights to the United 

States carrying such persons to arrive at 

the airports where the enhanced public 

health measures are being implemented. 

While DHS, in coordination with other 

applicable Federal agencies, anticipates 

working with operators of aircraft to 

identify potential travelers who have 

recently traveled from, or were 

otherwise present within, Rwanda prior 

to boarding, operators of aircraft will 

remain obligated to comply with the 

requirements of this document. 

Department of Defense (DoD) flights, via 

either military aircraft or contract 

flights, will be managed by DoD in 

accordance with HHS guidelines. 

Notice of Arrival Restrictions 

Applicable to All Flights Carrying 

Persons Who Have Recently Traveled 

From or Were Otherwise Present 

Within Rwanda 

Pursuant to 6 U.S.C. 112(a), 19 U.S.C. 

1433(c), and 19 CFR 122.32, DHS has 

the authority to limit the locations at 

which all flights entering the United 

States from abroad may land. Under this 

authority and effective for flights 

departing after 11:59 p.m. Eastern 

Daylight Time on October 15, 2024, I 

hereby direct all operators of aircraft to 

ensure that all flights (with the 

exception of those operated or 

contracted by DoD) carrying persons 

who have recently traveled from, or 

were otherwise present within, Rwanda 

only land at one of the following 

airports: 

• Chicago O’Hare International 

Airport (ORD), Illinois; 

• John F. Kennedy International 

Airport (JFK), New York; and 

• Washington-Dulles International 

Airport (IAD), Virginia. 

This direction considers a person to 

have recently traveled from Rwanda if 

that person departed from, or was 

otherwise present within, Rwanda 

within 21 days of the date of the 

person’s entry or attempted entry into 

the United States. Also, for purposes of 

this document, crew and flights carrying 

only cargo (i.e., no passengers or noncrew) are excluded from the applicable 

measures set forth in this notification. 

This direction is subject to any changes 

to the airport landing destination that 

may be required for aircraft and/or 

airspace safety as directed by the 

Federal Aviation Administration. 

This list of designated airports may be 

modified by the Secretary of Homeland 

Security in consultation with the 

Secretary of Health and Human Services 

and the Secretary of Transportation. 

This list of designated airports may be 

modified by an updated publication in 

the Federal Register or by posting an 

advisory to follow at www.cbp.gov. The 

restrictions will remain in effect until 

superseded, modified, or revoked by 

publication in the Federal Register. 

For purposes of this Federal Register 

document, ‘‘United States’’ means the 

territory of the several States, the 

District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. 

Alejandro N. Mayorkas, 

Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland 

Security. 

[FR Doc. 2024–23956 Filed 10–15–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 9111–14–P 


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