People exempt from Trump's COVID-19 proclamation, what is the quarantine/screening requirement?
You can read President Trump's full proclamation regarding conditions of travel between the US and Schengen zone here. Nowhere in this proclamation is a mention of a quarantine.
However, several major news outlets seem to be reporting different (and contradictory) things.
BBC reports:
Under President Donald Trump, the federal government has banned non-citizens from coronavirus-hit regions entry, but US citizens are allowed back into the country after a two-week quarantine.
Yet, CNN says
Returning travelers will be screened prior to entering the US and asked to self-quarantine for 14 days.
My question is, which is it? Will people exempt by the restriction face a mandated quarantine at the airport, or be told to self-quarantine? Nowhere in the official proclamation do I see mention of screening (which I am all for). If one of these people who is exempt from the restriction passes the screening (negative for the virus), are they free to go?
Best Answer
According to the DHS announcement and fact sheet, the procedures for people who have been to Schengen Area countries within the last 14 days who are exempt from the ban (US citizens, permanent residents, and their immediate family members) are the same as the procedure for people who have been to Mainland China (but haven't been to Hubei province) or Iran within the last 14 days.
Basically, they will have to arrive in the US at one of 13 designated airports, where they will undergo medical examination. If they have no symptoms, they will be asked to self-monitor their health and limit interactions (the government also calls this "self-quarantine") until 14 days after they have left the Schengen Area, but there are no formal restrictions on where they can go.
Only people who have been to Hubei province within the last 14 days are subject to a formal, mandatory quarantine so far.
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