KINSHASA, July 15 – The United States has introduced new travel restrictions that prevent its citizens in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) from returning home on commercial flights immediately, citing the country’s worsening Ebola outbreak.
Under the new travel order, which took effect on Monday, U.S. citizens currently in the DRC or those who have recently left the country will be placed on a “do-not-board” list as they must spend at least 21 days in a third country before they can travel to the United States on commercial flights.
The move comes as Ebola continues to spread across several provinces in the DRC with official figures showing 1,926 confirmed cases and 702 deaths as of Sunday.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said the risk has increased, with the virus now reported only hours away from Kinshasa, the country’s capital.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also confirmed that an American humanitarian worker in the DRC tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus. One infected American was admitted to Frankfurt University Hospital in Germany on Monday, while another American doctor had earlier been flown to Germany for treatment.
A U.S. official said about two dozen Americans were due to return home from the DRC on Tuesday but would now be affected by the new rules. The State Department said it would assist those impacted during the waiting period.
The United States has committed hundreds of millions of dollars to the Ebola response and is building a quarantine facility in Kenya for American citizens as part of efforts to prevent the virus from reaching the country.
