The Trump administration has barred American citizens in the Democratic Republic of Congo from boarding commercial flights to the United States as authorities respond to a rapidly expanding Ebola outbreak, a White House official said on Monday.
The measure, imposed under federal transportation powers known as Title 49, will place US citizens currently in Congo, as well as those who recently departed the country, on a temporary “do-not-board” list.
Affected travelers will be required to remain in a third country for at least 21 days before being permitted to fly to the United States, the official said.
The restriction comes as Congo struggles with an Ebola outbreak that has spread to several provinces. The number of confirmed cases had risen to 1,926 by Sunday, including 702 deaths, according to official figures.
Ebola is an often-fatal viral disease transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people or animals. Symptoms can include fever, vomiting and internal or external bleeding.
Around two dozen Americans who had traveled to Congo were expected to board US-bound flights on Tuesday, according to the official. The State Department is expected to assist them and other affected citizens during the mandatory waiting period.
US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. signed an order earlier on Monday citing the increased risk posed by the outbreak, including reports that the virus had spread to areas only several hours from the capital, Kinshasa.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday that an American citizen working for a humanitarian organisation in Congo had tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola.
One infected American was admitted to Frankfurt University Hospital in Germany early on Monday, officials said.
Another US citizen, identified by the Serge Christian humanitarian organisation as Dr. Peter Stafford, contracted Ebola in Congo and was transported to Germany for treatment in May, according to the CDC.