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The number of people flying to JFK International Airport from the three West African nations affected by Ebola is much lower than previously thought, federal officials said.
Data collected at the airport during the first five days of enhanced passenger screenings shows that an average of 31 people per day are arriving from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guniea — less than half the amount that was previously thought, the Washington Post reported.
Officials originally said an average of 150 people were traveling to the US every day from the virus-stricken region.
Around 94 percent of them were believed to be flying into the five international airports where the screenings take place — Washington Dulles, Chicago O’Hare, Atlanta, Newark and JFK — with 43 percent arriving in Queens.
Since the enhanced security measures began Oct. 11, US Customs and Border Protection and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have not been authorized to release data about the number of people being screened.
The JFK passenger traffic information came out last Thursday when CBP Assistant Commissioner John P. Wagner testified before a congressional committee, the Washington Post reports.
“Yes, there are less people coming in from those countries,” an anonymous official told the Washington Post. “There have been some flight restrictions. There are some carriers that have stopped flying into the area or taking passengers from the area.”
A total of 155 incoming passengers from West Africa were identified at JFK and put through the screening process over the first five days, Wagner said.
In addition, 13 other passengers underwent enhanced screening after being questioned during the CBP interview process. Eight of those people were transported to an area at JFK where they were subjected to a public health assessment by CDC officials, according to the Washington Post.
A total of 168 people were screened and eventually released after showing no signs of Ebola.



