The Trump administration has announced new restrictions preventing American citizens in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) from returning to the U.S. on commercial flights. This measure, implemented under Title 49 transportation authority, places affected individuals on a "do-not-board" list until they have spent at least 21 days in a third country before being allowed to travel to the United States. Approximately two dozen Americans who had planned to board flights to the U.S. on Tuesday were affected by these restrictions. The State Department has stated it will support these individuals during the mandatory waiting period.
This decision comes amid a widening Ebola outbreak in the DRC, which has spread across multiple provinces and is now reportedly hours away from the capital, Kinshasa. As of late Sunday, the number of confirmed Ebola cases in the country had risen to 1,926, resulting in 702 deaths. The U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., signed an order citing increased Ebola risks to justify the new travel restrictions.
Concerns have also been raised after a U.S. citizen working for a humanitarian organization in Congo tested positive for the Bundibugyo Ebola virus. This particular American was admitted to Frankfurt University Hospital in Germany, and another American, Dr. Peter Stafford, also contracted Ebola and was transported to Germany for treatment. The Bundibugyo strain is considered a less common but potentially deadly variant of the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had reported these cases, underscoring the risks associated with the outbreak.
