Passengers line up in the Delta terminal of LaGuardia Airport in the Queens Borough of New York after it was reopened after being evacuated due to a suspicious package being found by a baggage handler.
The US Transportation Security Administration is temporarily banning carry-on liquids, aerosols, gels and powders on flights between Russia and the United States, a Department of Homeland Security official said on Thursday.
The items can be carried on checked luggage, said the official with the department, the TSA's parent agency. ABC originally reported the ban.
The United States issued a warning on Wednesday to airports and to some airlines flying to Russia for the Olympics to watch for toothpaste tubes that could hold ingredients to make a bomb on a plane.
Russian forces are on high alert to head off possible militant attacks at the Winter Olympic Games, which begin on Friday in Sochi.
"As always our security posture, which at all times includes a number of measures both seen and unseen, will continue to respond and appropriately adapt to protect the American people from an ever-evolving threat picture," said the DHS official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The measures include temporarily restricting some items, the official said.
A statement on Delta Air Lines Inc's <DAL.N> website said prescription medicine would be allowed under the TSA directive. Travelers to Russia also need to check in personally with a Delta agent at the airport, and online, kiosk and mobile check-in will be unavailable, it said.
© Thomson Reuters 2014