The Trump administration has temporarily stopped U.S. citizens in the Democratic Republic of Congo from boarding commercial flights directly to the United States, citing the growing Ebola outbreak.
Under a transportation authority known as Title 49, anyone in Congo or who recently left will be placed on a “do-not-board” list. They must spend at least 21 days in a third country before they can fly to the U.S., a White House official said Monday.
The move comes as Congo reports 1,926 confirmed Ebola cases and 702 deaths, according to official data released Sunday. The virus, which spreads through contact with bodily fluids, causes fever, vomiting and internal bleeding and has now reached areas just hours from Kinshasa.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. signed the order earlier Monday. The CDC also confirmed two recent cases involving Americans. One U.S. citizen working for a humanitarian group tested positive for Bundibugyo Ebola, and another infected American was admitted to a hospital in Frankfurt on Monday. A third American, Dr. Peter Stafford, was flown to Germany for treatment in May.
About two dozen Americans were scheduled to fly home Tuesday. The State Department said it will support them and others affected during the 21-day waiting period.
The outbreak is still not fully mapped a month in, responders say. The World Health Organization warned earlier Tuesday that it has less than half the funding it needs to fight it.
