Homeland security restricts West Africa travel to 5 U.S. airports

WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- Although not an outright travel ban, travelers who wish to enter the United States from West Africa will be restricted by law to booking flights into only five airports.

Homeland Security will allow travelers from Liberia, Sierra Leone or Guinea to fly into John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Washington Dulles International Airport, O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta and Newark Liberty International Airport near New York.

DHS says of the roughly 150 people from the affected countries who enter the U.S. each year, 94 percent were already traveling through one of the five allowed airports, all of which have enhanced screening procedures to help combat further outbreak of the deadly disease.

If those numbers are accurate, the travel restrictions will prevent roughly nine high-risk people per day from entering the U.S.

"We are working closely with the airlines to implement these restrictions with minimal travel disruption," DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson said in prepared remarks.

"If not already handled by the airlines, the few impacted travelers should contact the airlines for rebooking, as needed."

The restrictions come on the heels of new guidelines from the Center for Disease Control about what safety precautions healthcare workers should take when treating patients carrying Ebola.