Set Aside Extra Time for Customs Clearance at Airports to Check for Coronavirus
If you are traveling to or departing from one of the US designated “coronavirus screening airports”, you may need to prepare for longer queues and waiting times, especially if you are traveling overseas.
What is an airport for coronavirus screening? Well, the United States is currently directing all flights from China to one of eleven airports to screen passengers for the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) upon arrival. As CNN explains:
New federal rules that took effect Sunday include:
– Temporary US travel ban for foreign nationals who have visited China in the past 14 days.
– Forcing US citizens who recently traveled to Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak, to be quarantined for up to 14 days after they return to the US.
– Requiring US citizens returning from other parts of mainland China to undergo medical examinations at selected ports of entry. These Americans can also go through up to 14 days of self-monitoring quarantine.
The eleven airports that carry out screening include:
- San Francisco International (SFO)
- Seattle-Tacoma International (SEA)
- Daniel C. Inoue International (HNL)
- Chicago O’Hare International (ORD)
- George W. Bush Intercontinental (IAH)
- Dallas-Fort Worth International (DFW)
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL)
- Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County (DTW)
- John F. Kennedy Intl (JFK)
- Newark Liberty International (EWR)
- Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)
According to The Points Guy , customs clearance at these airports takes longer than usual for all passengers (whether you’ve been in China or not), and some people are reporting six-hour waiting times.
However, The Points Guy retrieved the data and the typical increase in customs clearance time is more like 5-15 minutes depending on the airport. For example, in early December, the maximum waiting time at customs at SFO averaged 55.8 minutes; now the maximum waiting time for customs at SFO is 71.5 minutes on average (that’s 15.7 minutes longer if you count).
If you have a Global Entry or Mobile Passport app, you can expedite customs clearance, but in general prepare for longer queues and longer waiting times if you plan to clear customs at one of the 11 airports with coronavirus screening.