U.S. health and immigration authorities have extended entry restrictions tied to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in Central Africa, continuing measures first put in place earlier this year. An order continuing the suspension of the right to introduce specified foreign nationals into the United States was issued on July 13, 2026, and will be in effect for 30 days. The renewal keeps in place restrictions that have been building since the outbreak was first identified.
CDC is responding to an outbreak of Ebola disease in areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, and because the full scope of the outbreak is rapidly evolving, CDC is temporarily restricting U.S. entry for all travelers who were recently in DRC and certain travelers who were recently in Uganda or South Sudan. Non-U.S. passport holders who have been in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or South Sudan in the previous 21 days are not currently eligible to enter the U.S., and visa operations are also suspended in these countries.
For American citizens and other travelers who are still permitted entry, the process now includes mandatory rerouting and screening. Air passengers who have been in one of these countries in the past 21 days and are allowed to enter the U.S. will have their travel rerouted to a designated airport for public health entry screening, and airlines will work with affected travelers to rebook flights. Travelers permitted to enter the United States who have recently been in DRC, South Sudan, or Uganda will undergo public health entry screening, and those without symptoms will receive information about monitoring their health for 21 days after leaving the affected country, after which most will continue on to their final destination.
The outbreak driving these measures is notably severe by historical standards. The outbreak is caused by Bundibugyo virus, a type of Ebola virus, in northeastern DRC and Uganda's capital Kampala, with cases confirmed in Haut-Uele, Ituri, Nord-Kivu, Sud-Kivu, and Tshopo provinces in DRC. This is the 17th outbreak of Ebola in DRC, and it is spreading substantially faster than previous Ebola outbreaks, making it now the third largest Ebola outbreak on record. Despite the scale of the outbreak in the affected region, U.S. officials have been careful to frame the domestic risk as limited.
The overall risk to the American public and travelers remains low, and to date, no Ebola cases associated with this outbreak have been reported in the United States. The likelihood of Ebola spreading to the United States is considered very low, and if a case was diagnosed domestically, the risk of further spread is also considered low due to the strength of the U.S. public health system and infection control measures.
What this means for you
If you're traveling to or from the DRC, Uganda, or South Sudan, expect significant disruption to your itinerary, since entry for non-U.S. nationals from these countries remains suspended and American returnees face mandatory rerouting to designated screening airports. Build extra time into any travel plans involving these countries, as CDC and CBP screening at designated airports can add hours to arrival processing, and airlines may need to rebook affected passengers onto different flights or routings entirely.
Travelers who have recently visited these countries should monitor themselves for Ebola symptoms for three weeks after departure and should proactively contact public health authorities before any onward domestic or international travel during that monitoring window. Given that this order is renewed on a rolling basis, it's worth checking for updates before booking new travel involving the affected region, since restrictions could tighten further or extend beyond the current 30-day window depending on how the outbreak evolves.
While the outbreak itself is serious and historically significant in scale, U.S. health officials continue to emphasize that domestic risk remains low, meaning these restrictions are primarily a precaution aimed at preventing importation rather than a reflection of active spread within the United States.