The CDC has just announced new active post-arrival monitoring for all travelers entering the U.S. from Liberia, Sierra Leone or Guinea.  This will entail:

• Screening by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Customs and Border Protection at the airport

• Providing travelers with a “CARE” kit that includes a thermometer and other guidance on how to monitor for symptoms

• Requiring daily reporting to state or local public health officials

• Immediate tracking of any traveler who does not report into public health officials as required

In the event a traveler begins to show symptoms of Ebola, public health officials will implement an isolation and evaluation plan to limit exposure and direct the individual to a local hospital that has been trained to receive potential Ebola patients.

The new protocol is welcome news for employers who can now rely on clearance from public health authorities in connection with an employee returning to work after travel in one of the impacted countries.  Public health authority monitoring also relieves employers from determining an appropriate monitoring protocol for their employees who return from these countries.