U.S. citizens who have recently been in Congo must now spend at least 21 days in another country before boarding a commercial flight to the United States under a temporary public health restriction.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The Trump administration has expanded Ebola-related travel restrictions to U.S. citizens, temporarily preventing Americans who have recently been in Congo from boarding direct commercial flights to the United States until they complete a 21-day waiting period in another country.
The policy took effect Monday and uses federal transportation authority under Title 49 to place affected U.S. citizens on a “do-not-board” list, according to an administration official cited in an Epoch Times report.
Americans currently in Congo, or those who recently departed the country, “will only be allowed to board a commercial flight to the United States if they have spent at least 21 days outside of the” central African nation, the official said.
The restriction does not permanently prohibit affected citizens from returning to the United States. It requires them to remain outside Congo for three weeks before they may board a commercial flight bound for America.
Approximately 24 Americans who had been in Congo were preparing to board flights to the United States before the prohibition was implemented.
The new policy represents an expansion of restrictions already imposed on foreign nationals. Under an order issued in May, non-citizens who had recently traveled through Congo, Uganda or South Sudan were required to spend at least 21 days outside those countries before entering the United States.
U.S. citizens had not previously been subject to the same direct-flight limitation.
The administration official said the expanded restriction is based on an updated order from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. addressing changing patterns in Congo’s Ebola outbreak.
The revised order “highlights the new risk patterns” emerging in the country, the official said.
The order has not been publicly released. Information posted on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website indicates that it will remain effective for 30 days.
The CDC, an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, states on its website that American citizens may enter the United States even after recent travel in Congo or surrounding countries.
The new boarding restriction, however, limits how affected citizens may return by preventing them from using commercial flights to the United States until the 21-day period has passed.
The State Department issued its strongest travel warning for Congo on July 11, advising Americans not to travel there for any reason because of the Ebola outbreak.
The outbreak had reached 1,926 confirmed cases, including 702 deaths and 318 recoveries, according to the information provided.
Many of the Americans currently in Congo are working for nongovernmental organizations or conducting international business, the administration official said. A smaller number are in the country independently.
The CDC is expected to provide medical assessments for Americans in Congo “and elsewhere,” according to the official.
The administration did not provide details about where affected travelers should complete the 21-day waiting period, how medical monitoring will be conducted or whether exceptions will be available for emergency circumstances.
It also did not explain how long an American citizen would remain on the “do-not-board” list after leaving Congo or what documentation would be required to prove that the three-week period had been completed.
The policy is intended to prevent people who may have been exposed to Ebola from traveling directly into the United States during the disease’s potential incubation period.
Under the temporary system, Americans may leave Congo for another country but must remain outside the affected nation for at least 21 days before boarding a U.S.-bound commercial flight.
The restriction will remain tied to the updated health order, which is scheduled to stay in effect for 30 days unless federal officials extend, revise or end it earlier.
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