The United States said Wednesday that American citizens returning from the Democratic Republic of Congo must spend 21 days in a third country before entering the United States, citing concerns about the Ebola outbreak in the region.
The restrictions, issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a website update dated July 14, also apply to certain travelers from Uganda and South Sudan. Other travelers from these countries will continue to undergo airport screening, as they have done in recent months.
The CDC said exceptions may be granted on a case-by-case basis for humanitarian or law enforcement reasons.
Reuters first reported the new policy Tuesday, saying the Trump administration was blocking Americans in Congo from boarding commercial flights to the United States.
Dr. Daniel Jernigan, a former senior CDC official who led the agency’s response during the 2014-2015 West Africa Ebola outbreak, said Tuesday that the use of a “do not board” policy to prevent U.S. citizens from returning home when they have little risk of Ebola infection is unprecedented.
“This policy change risks shifting medical and public health responsibility to third countries, it could encourage travelers to conceal their itineraries or exposures, and it will make it more difficult to recruit U.S. responders in the event of an outbreak.”
The CDC and other federal agencies had already issued an order this spring barring noncitizens, including those with extended legal status, from entering the United States directly from those three countries and requiring the same 21-day stay in another country.
Americans had been allowed entry into some airports, where they were screened by officials based on their travel history, temperature and symptoms.
The outbreak in Congo has resulted in more than 1,900 confirmed cases of Ebola and more than 700 deaths, according to official data, with all cases linked to the Bundibugyo strain.
No cases linked to the outbreak have been confirmed in the United States, and the risk to the American public and travelers remains low, according to the CDC.
