Key facts
- The Trump administration has barred U.S. citizens in the Democratic Republic of the Congo from returning to the U.S.
- The measure requires individuals to spend 21 days in a third country before re-entry.
- The order applies to Americans currently in the DRC or those who have recently traveled there.
- The U.S. is blocking Americans in the DRC from immediate travel home due to the Ebola outbreak.
- An Ebola treatment center in eastern DRC was attacked, causing patients and responders to flee.
The Trump administration has barred U.S. citizens in the Democratic Republic of the Congo from returning home amid an Ebola outbreak that continues to outpace response efforts. Reuters reported that Americans currently in the DRC or those who have recently traveled to the Ebola-stricken country have been put on a “do-not-board” list, unable to travel back to the U.S. until they have spent 21 days in a third country. This order, confirmed by Politico, has already blocked roughly two dozen Americans from boarding flights home. Health experts have criticized such travel restrictions, arguing they are historically unsuccessful, harmful, discourage transparency about outbreaks, hurt economies, and create stigma, potentially limiting humanitarian aid workers.
Separately, an Ebola treatment center in eastern DRC was attacked by an angry crowd following the death of a patient due to complications during childbirth. Relatives were refused permission to donate blood for a transfusion due to Ebola outbreak protocols, leading to the attack on Nyakunde Hospital. Several Ebola patients escaped during the unrest, the medical team left, the generator stopped functioning, and remaining patients fled. Aid group Samaritan's Purse evacuated its staff and some patients, leaving critically ill patients without treatment.
The attack highlights persistent challenges in containing Ebola in eastern Congo, where mistrust of medical teams and community resistance have repeatedly disrupted efforts. Health workers have also protested and threatened strikes over security risks and workload. The current outbreak, the 17th in Congo, has resulted in 2,073 confirmed cases and 796 deaths. The outbreak is also disrupting negotiations for a U.S.-backed minerals partnership in the country.