CBP Operations Unaffected by COVID-19, but Illnesses, School Closings Could Take Toll

CBP’s cargo operations remain mostly unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic, CBP said on a call held March 13, according to an emailed update from the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America. There are no additional screening requirements for cargo because medical professionals have advised that COVID-19 is transmitted by people not cargo, CBP said on the call, according to the American Association of Exporters and Importers. “If CBP receives different guidance, they will relay that information immediately,” CBP said, as relayed by the NCBFAA.

CBP headquarters staff have been directed to work from home, if able, starting March 16, the NCBFAA said. AAEI says CBP does not anticipate “any reduction in service.” If more staff is exposed or ill or impacted personally by school closures and the like, there could be an impact to cargo processing, Geodis said in an emailed update. “However, CBP in the ports and in mission support roles is proactively reviewing work and prioritizing in the event staff is reduced.”

Cargo volume is down as a result of the pandemic. There have been declines in express cargo, air cargo and mail shipments, the NCBFAA and AAEI said. Customs lawyer Ted Murphy said that, once the worst of the pandemic has passed, he expects a “sharp increase in import activity and possibly congestion at the border. CBP has indicated that C-TPAT members will be given priority.”

The Food and Drug Administration’s import operations will remain “functional and operational” for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCBFAA said in a separate update. “This means that FDA Prior Notice review, entry processing, sampling/examination of high-risk shipments, FSVP inspections, filer assessments, and compliance activities will all continue,” the NCBFAA said.

However, FDA does anticipate a “lessened capacity to generate and mail hard-copy Notices of FDA Action (release notices, sampling notices, etc.) which will delay receipt of hard-copy FDA notices,” the NCBFAA said. “The agency strongly encourages all members of the import community who deal in FDA-regulated articles to utilize the FDA Import Trade Auxiliary Communication System (ITACS) for current entry status and to create an ITACS account to receive FDA notices electronically.”