Effective February 2, 2020, new restrictions apply to all flights from the People’s Republic of China and all passengers who have traveled to the PRC, excluding Hong Kong and Macau, within the 14 days prior to admission to the United States. The US consular posts in China have canceled visa appointments, effective February 3.
President Trump issued a proclamation on January 31 suspending the arrival of immigrants and nonimmigrants who pose a risk of transmitting the coronavirus.
Restrictions on US citizens and returning US residents
US citizens, returning US residents and certain others (see “Exemptions” section below) who have been in the PRC’s Hubei province within 14 days of their return will be subject to up to 14 days of mandatory quarantine to ensure they are provided proper medical care and health screening.
Those who have been in other areas of mainland PRC within 14 days of their return will be required to undergo proactive entry health screening and up to 14 days of self-quarantine with health monitoring to ensure they have not contracted the virus and do not pose a public health risk.
Restrictions on citizens of other countries
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that foreign nationals who have traveled in the PRC within 14 days of their arrival (other than immediate family members of US citizens, permanent residents and flight crew) will be denied entry into the US.
Exemptions
Entry will not be denied, but the quarantine process described above will apply, to: US permanent residents, the spouses of US citizens or permanent residents, the parents/guardians of US citizens/residents (if the citizen/resident is unmarried and under 21), and certain others.
Restrictions apply to all parts of the US
The restrictions apply to travel to all 50 states of the US, the District of Columbia, and territories and possessions of the US, including Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, and Guam.
Other countries with arrival restrictions
Similar arrival restrictions were announced by a number of other countries around the world, including Australia, India, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, New Zealand, North Korea, South Korea, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
The full text of the proclamation can be found here. Click here for DHS’s arrival restrictions. And the DHS press release is available at the DHS website.
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