Washington – The Homeland Security Department has ordered agents at airports and other ports of entry to observe everyone coming into the United States for potential signs of Ebola infection, officials said Wednesday.
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Customs and Border Protection agents are also handing out factsheets to travelers with details of what symptoms to look for and directions to call a doctor if they become sick within 21 days.
Mayorkas did not elaborate on how they would observe people or say when the new measures would begin. He said agents would observe all travelers for “general signs of illness” at the points of entry. He spoke at an airport security conference in Northern Virginia on Wednesday.
The Obama administration has wrestled in recent weeks with what it can do effectively to detect arriving passengers who may be carrying the disease since many of them may not be symptomatic when they arrive.
Mayorkas said the department was aware of those issues and is “taking a layered approach.”