Shelter-in-Place Orders Imposed; Travel Ban on Northern & Southern Borders
Good afternoon,
First, we want to take this opportunity to express our appreciation for the numerous member calls and messages received concerning your coronavirus-related experiences.
We continue to monitor the situation and wanted to report the following important information to you as soon as possible. Please feel free to ask any questions or provide your comments:
U.S. Travel Bans announced on the Northern and Southern Borders
Effective tonight at 23:59 EDT, border crossings will be limited between the United States and Canada and the United Staes and Mexico to essential travel only. As we learned during
yesterday's CBP call, essential travel includes individuals engaged in lawful cross-border trade including truck drivers supporting the movement of cargo between the U.S. and Mexico and the U.S. and Canada.
A few states have issued "shelter in-place" type orders with other states expected to follow soon. AfA members have been asking if their trucks and related-personnel are deemed "essential" and therefore exempt from these orders.
So far, we understand that some but not all of the jurisdictions imposing these orders are deferring to the Cyber Security and Infrastructure Security Agency's (CISA) Guidance on what constitutes "essential" workers. Based on our current understanding, several transportation and logistics workers are deemed fall into this category and thus allowed to work.
If your employees or affiliates are approached by law enforcement personnel, we suggest that they have the following:
Government issued driver's license or government issued identification and
A company-issued identification badge or card
A letter on company letterhead explaining that the employee is assisting with the preparation or the delivery of logistics services to insure the movement of cargo under the Department of Homeland Security Cyber Security and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Guidance to insure the movement of cargo and trade in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ensure that a knowledgeable point of contact is available by telephone to confirm employment status of employees or answer questions
This is a rapidly evolving situation, and the above points are suggestions only and are not a guarantee against enforcement action. Of course, we will be monitoring and communicating important developments affecting our members as they occur.
Brandon Fried
Executive Director
Become an AfA Platinum member!
Platinum members enjoy amenities, advertising and conference opportunities spotlighting their companies while further supporting the valuable efforts of our association. Find out more by clicking here, giving Brandon a call at 202-577-9536 or dropping a line to bfried@airforwarders.org today!
OUR PLATINUM MEMBERS:
Want to become a platinum member? Click here to learn more
