Factbox-Countries tighten travel rules as Ebola risk rises
Factbox-Countries tighten travel rules as Ebola risk rises
ReutersMon, June 1, 2026 at 10:34 AM UTC
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Health workers stand at the Kanyaruchinya checkpoint to screen travellers, as authorities and aid agencies intensify efforts to contain a new Ebola outbreak involving the Bundibugyo strain, in the northern entry into the city of Goma, North Kivu province, the Democratic Republic of the Congo May 20, 2026. REUTERS/Arlette Bashizi/File Photo
June 1 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization on May 17 declared an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) a Public Health Emergency of International Concern and said there was a high risk it could spread to neighbouring countries.
The decision has prompted governments to step up travel-related containment measures. Here is a list of screening steps and travel restrictions announced by different countries and measures by airlines.
In May, Washington banned non-citizens who had travelled to the DRC, Uganda or South Sudan in recent weeks from entering the United States. On May 22, the ban was extended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to green card holders who had been in those countries in the previous 21 days.
The CDC on May 23 added Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to its travel funnelling list, alongside Washington Dulles. U.S. passport holders returning from affected regions are escorted to designated screening areas for temperature checks, travel history verification, and symptom tracking by the CDC.
The Canadian government said on May 26 that residents from the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan would be banned from entering Canada for 90 days starting May 27.
Canadian citizens, permanent residents and other foreign nationals who have been in affected areas in recent weeks and do not have symptoms will have to quarantine for 21 days from May 30, a statement from Canada's public health agency said.
The Bahamian government said on May 26 that a ban on residents from the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan would take immediate effect and remain in place for 30 days.
The Bahamas also announced enhanced health screenings and possible quarantines for foreigners who were present in those countries within 30 days of arriving in the Caribbean country.
The Cayman Islands government said on May 20 it would implement enhanced screening measures as a precaution after a flight landed carrying two passengers with recent travel history to the DRC.
Mexico's Health Secretary David Kershenovich addressed the media on May 25, outlining tighter Ebola screening measures at airports, urging the public to avoid travel to DRC and asking arrivals from the country to observe a 21-day quarantine.
The Jordanian government on May 19 suspended the entry of travellers arriving from the DRC and Uganda, according to the Jordanian state agency.
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The Kenyan Ministry of Health said on May 25 it had 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. Isolation and holding facilities have been activated in designated border locations to support potential containment efforts, the ministry added.
Zambia has stepped up screening and surveillance for Ebola after authorities cleared two suspected cases.
"Zambia has developed screening tools and protocols, which are already being used to screen for Ebola at entry points into Zambia and on people within the country who have Ebola-like symptoms," the health ministry said on May 29.
Bahrain said on May 19 it was suspending for 30 days the entry of foreign travellers arriving from South Sudan, the DRC and Uganda.
India has launched screening and surveillance measures at airports and other entry points, issued advisories on precautions, and urged citizens to avoid non-essential travel to the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan.
Thailand's Public Health Ministry said that from May 27 onwards passengers arriving from the DRC and Uganda would only be allowed to enter the country through Suvarnabhumi Airport, where they will undergo screening.
Travellers from or through those countries will be required to quarantine for at least 21 days if they do not have symptoms, and will be referred to isolation for at least 21 days if they have symptoms compatible with Ebola virus disease.
The EU's Health Security Committee said on May 22 that entry screenings were not necessary for passengers arriving from the DRC and Uganda, citing low risk to the population.
KLM cancelled flights to and from Entebbe airport near the Ugandan capital Kampala due to restrictions linked to the Ebola outbreak in Central Africa, the Dutch airline said on May 29. The carrier said it could no longer operate planned routes due to some countries' travel and entry measures for people who recently travelled through Entebbe, including its crew.
Brussels Airlines said on Monday the Ebola situation did not impact its flight schedule, but it has adapted the rosters of its long-haul crews, as if they have flown to the DRC or Uganda in the past 21 days, they would be refused entry in the United States.
(Reporting by Reuters bureaus; compiled by Mirko Miorelli, Alexander Klyve Gudbrandsen and Arda Dipova in Gdansk Editing by Matt Scuffham and Milla Nissi-Prussak)
Source: “AOL Breaking”
