US Blocks Citizens Returning From Congo Due to Ebola Risk

Washington DC. The Trump administration has banned American citizens in the Democratic Republic of Congo from returning to the United States via commercial flights immediately, citing the increased risk of Ebola infection. 

According to a White House official, under the authority of Title 49 of the U.S. Code, an order has been issued stating that American citizens in or recently departed from Congo will only be allowed to enter the United States after spending at least 21 days in a third country. Until then, their names will be placed on a flight ban list.

This decision comes at a time when the Ebola infection is spreading rapidly in Congo. According to government data released on Sunday, the number of confirmed Ebola cases nationwide has reached 1,926, with 702 deaths. Ebola is a serious viral disease transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids from an infected person or animal. Its symptoms can include high fever, vomiting, and internal and external bleeding.

According to U.S. officials, about two dozen American citizens who were preparing to return to the U.S. from Congo on Tuesday will be affected by this decision. The U.S. State Department has stated that it will provide necessary assistance to them during their waiting period. Earlier on Monday, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had signed a special order mentioning the increased risk of Ebola. The order stated that the infection had spread to within a few hours' distance from Congo's capital, Kinshasa.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated last Friday that an American aid worker in Congo had tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus. Similarly, officials said that an American infected in Congo was admitted to the University Hospital Frankfurt in Germany on Monday for treatment. Earlier in May, another American citizen named Dr. Peter Stafford was also taken to Germany for treatment after being infected with Ebola, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.