US Imposes 21-Day Travel Restrictions on Passengers from Ebola-Affected DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan

The United States has imposed a strict 21-day travel restriction on passengers from Ebola-affected nations, including a Do Not Board policy for anyone leaving the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The measures come as the DRC battles the fastest-transmitting Ebola outbreak in history, which has reached 4,000 cases and 1,800 deaths. While the US has pledged an additional $242 million to combat the virus, aid groups like Samaritan's Purse warn that the mandatory 21-day out-of-country quarantine will severely disrupt humanitarian deployments.

US travel restrictions DRC

• ▪The United States border order issued on May 18, 2026, suspended the right to introduce certain persons present in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan within the previous 21 days.
• ▪The designated United States airports for public health entry screening of travelers from Uganda or South Sudan are Washington-Dulles, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta, George Bush Intercontinental, and John F. Kennedy International.
• ▪The United States border order restricting entry from Ebola-affected countries was continued on a rolling 30-day basis on July 13, 2026, extending through August 12, 2026.
• ▪United States citizens and nationals who have been present in Uganda or South Sudan, but not the Democratic Republic of the Congo, within 21 days of arrival must enter the United States through designated airports for public health entry screening.

Do Not Board policy

• ▪The CDC reported on July 10, 2026, that a United States citizen working for a humanitarian organization in the Democratic Republic of the Congo tested positive for Bundibugyo virus disease.
• ▪The Do Not Board travel restriction applies to all passengers with intermediate stops or multi-stop itineraries in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, regardless of whether they disembark the airplane.
• ▪Under a mid-July 2026 CDC and DHS Do Not Board process, any traveler, including United States citizens, who has been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo within 21 days of their flight is barred from boarding commercial flights to the United States.

Ebola outbreak transmission scale

• ▪Dozens of Congolese health workers in Ituri province, which accounts for nearly 90% of the country's Ebola cases, staged protests on August 6, 2026, over unpaid wages and bonuses.
• ▪Congolese health authorities quarantined nearly 200 boat passengers near Kinshasa on August 6, 2026, after a traveler previously aboard the boat died with Ebola-like symptoms.
• ▪The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has reached 4,000 confirmed cases and over 1,800 deaths since May 2026, making it the fastest in history in terms of transmission.

Healthcare worker deployment challenges

• ▪Seven asymptomatic American humanitarian staff members were moved from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to a voluntary 21-day quarantine at an isolation facility in Kenya under US Public Health Service observation.
• ▪The World Health Organization and Africa CDC do not recommend flight suspensions or travel bans, and Africa CDC has requested the United States lift restrictions on Uganda.
• ▪The humanitarian aid group Samaritan's Purse stated that the 21-day travel restriction increases its operational costs and will force the organization to curtail its Ebola response work in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

US financial assistance commitment

• ▪The United States Department of State provides financial assistance loans to help citizens secure temporary lodging outside the Democratic Republic of the Congo to complete their 21-day waiting period.
• ▪The United States Department of State maintains a Level 4 'Do Not Travel' advisory for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan.
• ▪The United States government announced an additional $242 million donation on August 5, 2026, to combat the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, bringing its total direct assistance to over $512 million.