WHO Calls for Ceasefire in Congo to Contain Ebola as Cases Surge

The WHO on May 17, 2026, declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, involving the Bundibugyo strain. The CDC on May 22, 2026, extended travel bans to green card holders from DRC, Uganda and South Sudan. Canada banned residents from these countries for 90 days starting May 27, 2026, while Uganda closed its border with DRC on May 20, 2026, for four weeks. Multiple countries imposed 21-day quarantines for travelers.

WHO emergency declaration

• ▪The World Health Organization said there was a high risk the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo could spread to neighbouring countries
• ▪The World Health Organization on May 17, 2026, declared an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo a Public Health Emergency of International Concern

US travel restrictions

• ▪Mexico's Health Secretary David Kershenovich on May 25, 2026, urged the public to avoid travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo
• ▪The Jordanian government on May 19, 2026, suspended the entry of travellers arriving from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda
• ▪The Canadian government on May 26, 2026, banned residents from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and South Sudan from entering Canada for 90 days starting May 27, 2026
• ▪The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on May 22, 2026, extended the travel ban to green card holders who have been in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in the previous 21 days
• ▪Washington banned non-citizens who had travelled to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in recent weeks from entering the United States
• ▪The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on May 23, 2026, added Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to its travel funnelling list, alongside Washington Dulles

Border closures

• ▪Uganda's government on May 20, 2026, closed its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo with immediate effect and for four weeks

Quarantine requirements

• ▪The Bahamas announced enhanced health screenings and possible quarantines for foreigners who were present in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and South Sudan within 30 days of arriving in the Caribbean country
• ▪Travellers from or through the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda will be required to quarantine for at least 21 days in Thailand if they do not have symptoms
• ▪Any person authorized to enter Uganda from the Democratic Republic of Congo is required to undergo mandatory self-isolation for 21 days
• ▪Canadian citizens, permanent residents and other foreign nationals who have been in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and South Sudan in recent weeks and do not have symptoms will have to quarantine for 21 days from May 30, 2026
• ▪Mexico's Health Secretary David Kershenovich on May 25, 2026, asked arrivals from the Democratic Republic of Congo to observe a 21-day quarantine

Airport screening measures

• ▪Passengers arriving from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda will only be allowed to enter Thailand through Suvarnabhumi Airport, where they will undergo screening
• ▪The Cayman Islands government on May 20, 2026, implemented enhanced screening measures as a precaution after a flight landed carrying two passengers with recent travel history to the Democratic Republic of Congo
• ▪The European Union's Health Security Committee on May 22, 2026, said entry screenings were not necessary for passengers arriving from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, citing low risk to the population
• ▪The Kenyan Ministry of Health on May 25, 2026, enhanced screening of travellers at high-risk points of entry, coordinated through the Kenya National Public Health Institute under the fully activated National Incident Management System
• ▪Mexico outlined tighter Ebola screening measures at airports on May 25, 2026
• ▪India launched screening and surveillance measures at airports and other entry points in response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo