The Trump administration is blocking American citizens in the Democratic Republic of Congo from returning to the U.S. on commercial flights, a White House official told Becker’s.
On July 13, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy signed an updated Title 42 order. Also on July 13, the administration began using Title 49 authorities based on the updated order to place any American citizens who had been in Congo on a Do-Not-Board list for any commercial flights into the U.S., the official said.
American citizens who are in or recently have been in Congo will only be allowed to board a commercial flight to the U.S. if they have spent at least 21 days outside Congo.
“We are aware of around two dozen American citizens who were set to board flights today to the United States after having been in the DRC. The State Department will be working with these individuals to assist their 21-day waiting period before they can board a commercial flight back home,” the official told Becker’s. “Many Americans in the DRC are there in the context of working for NGOs, who we have been in contact with, or are on international business. A smaller subset of Americans are there on their own, and the State Department will provide consular assistance for these people to be able to follow the 21-day waiting period in a third country and return home if and when they wish to do so. The CDC will also be providing medical assessments for Americans on the ground in the DRC and elsewhere.”
This is an additional restriction put on travelers trying to return from Congo, Uganda and South Sudan. Current CDC guidelines state that air passengers who have been in these countries in the past 21 days and are allowed to enter the U.S. will be rerouted to one of four designated airports for public health entry screenings. The designated airports include Washington-Dulles International Airport in Virginia, outside Washington, D.C., Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. Even passengers who only transited through one of these countries may be redirected to one of the designated airports.
Here are three other Ebola updates.
1. The World Health Organization said it has received about 40% of the $115 million it needs to fight the Ebola outbreak, Reuters reported
“This outbreak requires resources that match the scale of the challenges that we are facing. And this is not a burden DRC can be allowed to carry alone,” Chikwe Ihekweazu, MD, executive director of the WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme, said July 14.
2. The true number of Ebola cases in Congo is estimated to be at least double, and possible over four times the current number of cases, Dr. Ihekweazu said. Currently, there are 1,926 confirmed cases and 702 deaths.
“This is now the third-largest Ebola outbreak ever, and we’ve seen the fastest growth in a single month since the outbreak started, and of all the Ebola outbreaks that we’ve managed,” Dr. Ihekweazu said.
3. Congo is facing a second strike among healthcare workers over unpaid salaries and bonuses, ABC News reported. Last week, healthcare workers struck for about 24 hours before returning to work. On July 13, staff at Rwanpara General Hospital in Ituri province went on strike, saying they have not been paid. The strike included epidemiologists, case investigators, drivers and gravediggers, and the protest has shut down the hospital. Congo’s health minister said the government is verifying a list of workers who are working on the outbreak, as unrelated names have been added to the payroll.
Becker’s has reached out to the White House and will update this story if more information becomes available.
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