The Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, a catch-all term used for a group of viruses that damage the organs and lead to internal bleeding, continues to spread through several African countries.
The latest statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO) report at least 1,926 infections and 702 deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, and Uganda.
On July 14, the second American who was in the Democratic Republic of Congo through his work for a humanitarian aid organization was confirmed to be infected with the virus and transferred to Germany for medical care.
U.S. bans citizens in Democratic Republic of Congo from coming home for 21 days over Ebola risk
While the risk of contracting the virus outside the affected regions remains low, multiple countries have taken measures to restrict travel from countries in the midst of an outbreak.
In May 2026, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) implemented a new entry ban on any non-citizens who traveled to Uganda, the DRC, or South Sudan in the last 21 days while Canada and Mexico put in place similar travel restrictions.
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Early reporting from Reuters cites an unnamed White House official who confirmed that the Trump administration will place citizens who are currently in or have recently left the Congo on a “do not board list” until they have spent 21 days waiting out potential exposure in a third country.
The decision goes off Title 49 in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations that relates to transportation security and can implement certain bans in cases where travel can create a health safety risk.
Prior to the latest change, U.S. citizens and those with permanent residency who have been to the Congo since the start of the outbreak were permitted to return home but needed to do it through one of four major airports equipped to screen them as a public health risk.
What happens to Americans who have been to countries with an Ebola outbreak
The White House official said the unprecedented measure of temporarily preventing Americans from returning home was made under the direct order of Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The official said that approximately two dozen Americans who had planned to board flights returning home from Africa on July 14 have been or will be denied boarding as they are asked to wait out the 21-day period in third countries that have not been named.
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“CDC temporarily restricted U.S. entry for certain travelers who were recently in DRC, Uganda, or South Sudan,” the government agency writes on a website about the Ebola outbreak that as of Tuesday afternoon has not been updated with the latest guidance.
The official stated that the State Department would support any stranded Americans during the waiting period but it is not immediately clear how they would do this in a third country. The second American confirmed to have Ebola in the DRC was transferred to Frankfurt University Hospital for treatment on July 13.
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