First U.S. airport begins enhanced Ebola entry screenings

New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport began screening passengers who had traveled from or through Liberia, Sierra Leone, or Guinea for signs of the Ebola virus on Saturday, The Associated Press reports.

Still, "no matter how many procedures are put into place, we can't get the risk to zero," Dr. Martin Cetron, director of the Division of Global Migration and Quarantine for the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, said.

Customs and health officials are using no-touch thermometers to take arriving travelers' temperatures. Those who are found to have a fever will be interviewed further to determine whether they may have come in contact with a person infected with the Ebola virus. If necessary, travelers can be subsequently quarantined. The same screening measures will go into effect at four other U.S. airports later this week, notes AP: New Jersey's Newark Liberty, Washington Dulles, Chicago O'Hare and Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up