Bars commercial flights for travelers recently in Congo during Ebola outbreak

The Trump administration has introduced Ebola-related travel restrictions tied to the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, temporarily preventing certain travelers from boarding commercial flights to the United States. Under the policy, U.S. citizens and other U.S. nationals who have been in the Congo recently must remain outside the country for 21 days before returning on commercial air service, Politico reported. U.S. Embassy guidance updated travelers that anyone who was in the Congo within the previous 21 days will not be allowed to board flights to the United States, according to Reuters. Congolese health data released over the weekend reported more than 1,900 confirmed infections and over 700 deaths. Former CDC official Dr. Daniel Jernigan said the approach is unusual and may create unintended consequences, including discouraging accurate travel reporting and complicating medical staffing.