United States: 500,000 people a day will face extra checks on arrival
Every traveller entering the United States will now face being screened for radiological materials by border inspectors, in an effort to counter terrorism.
The US Customs department has confirmed that every person now entering the country will be screened by at least one inspector with a special radiation detector, meaning that some 500,000 people a day arriving at airports, sea ports and land border crossings.
Presently, customs agents screen arrivals on a more-or-less random basis – a move introduced following the 11 September attacks. US Customs claims that the extra screening will not cause extra delays for travellers.
Cargo arriving in the United States by sea or air will still only be checked on an ad-hoc basis, though there are plans to have all cargo screened within a year.
