Washington's new policy mandates that American citizens returning from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where an Ebola outbreak is ongoing, must spend 21 days in a third country before being allowed to enter the United States. This measure is expected to significantly impede humanitarian efforts, according to Franklin Graham, CEO of Samaritan's Purse, an aid organization that operates Ebola treatment centers in the DRC and deploys a large number of American responders. Graham expressed concerns that the additional three weeks away from their regular jobs would deter healthcare workers from volunteering, complicate recruitment, and escalate costs associated with transferring and quarantining staff in a third country.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) implemented this new policy, which also extends to some travelers from Uganda and South Sudan, following a Reuters report about Americans being placed on a "do-not-board" list for US-bound commercial flights from the DRC. Despite the CDC stating that the risk of Ebola to the American public and travelers remains low, and no cases linked to the current outbreak have been confirmed in the US, the Trump administration has maintained a strict approach to prevent Ebola entry. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has pledged to keep Ebola out of the US, a stance also evident in the earlier travel restrictions imposed on non-citizens and the ongoing construction of a quarantine center in Kenya.
Critiques of the policy highlight that a "do-not-board" approach for US citizens with low infection risk is unprecedented, according to Dr. Daniel Jernigan, a former senior CDC official. Health experts also warn that such stringent travel restrictions, which were not implemented in past Ebola outbreaks, could be counterproductive. These restrictions risk discouraging transparency about outbreaks, hurting economies, creating stigma, and limiting the crucial work of humanitarian aid workers. The current Ebola outbreak in the DRC is the third-worst on record, with over 1,900 confirmed cases and more than 700 deaths, primarily from the Bundibugyo strain. The World Health Organization (WHO) has noted significant undetected spread, estimating the true scale of the outbreak could be two to four times larger than reported figures.
