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By Faye James
US news reporter
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A new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requirement is now in force for people boarding flights to the United States from abroad. Travelers must sign a statement confirming they have not been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) during the 21 days before their flight.
The rule took effect at 11:59 p.m. Eastern on November 3. It applies to flights departing from any foreign country, not only those coming directly from the DRC. Airlines and other aircraft operators must check that everyone on board has completed the attestation and deny boarding to anyone who has not, unless the U.S. government has granted an exemption. The order is scheduled to remain in effect until 11:59 p.m. Eastern on December 18, unless it is changed or rescinded earlier.
Newsweek has reached out to the CDC, the Department of Transportation and airline representatives for comment via email outside office hours.
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What Passengers Must Do Under the New Rule
Passengers must sign a paper or digital statement confirming they have not been in the DRC in the previous 21 days. The requirement applies to people on commercial, private, general aviation and cargo flights. It also applies when the U.S. is a connecting point rather than the traveler’s final destination. Time spent transiting through a DRC airport counts, even if a traveler did not leave the plane.
Airlines can collect the attestation during check-in or at the gate. They must retain each completed form for 42 days after the flight arrives in the U.S. Travelers who have been in the DRC during the 21-day period cannot board a U.S.-bound flight until 21 days have passed since they left the country. The CDC says this applies to U.S. citizens and nationals as well as other travelers.
The CDC says the rule is intended to reduce the risk of Ebola being introduced into the U.S. The 21 days reflect the disease’s maximum incubation period. The agency says the overall risk to the American public and travelers remains low. Willfully providing false or misleading information on the attestation may lead to criminal penalties.
Ebola Outbreak Has Spread Beyond the DRC
The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a less common Ebola virus species. It was declared in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in May. Uganda, which also reported cases, declared its outbreak over in August. Since then, imported cases have been reported in Kenya and Nigeria.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control reported 10,532 confirmed cases and 5,126 related deaths in the DRC as of November 1. Kenya’s first case was reported October 6 in a man who had traveled from the DRC through Uganda. He died at a Nairobi hospital. Health authorities identified 135 contacts; eight later tested positive, and one of those patients died, bringing Kenya’s death toll to two.
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Kenya’s Health Ministry said Tuesday that five patients had tested negative and were discharged, leaving two receiving supportive care. No new infections had been reported in the previous two weeks, though officials said the country remained on high alert. The ministry also released 46 quarantined contacts of the first patient. Another 20 contacts had been released the previous week, and the final 52 were expected to complete quarantine the following week.
Kenya will not declare the outbreak over until 42 days have passed after the final patient recovers. Nigeria reported an imported case on October 20 in a patient who had traveled from Uganda to Abuja.
Have Ebola Patients Recently Come to the US?
The CDC said on November 2 that no cases associated with this outbreak had been reported in the United States. However, infected travelers have crossed borders elsewhere, with the Kenya and Nigeria cases illustrating how the virus has moved from the DRC into other countries.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Tobias Meyjes and Tony Phillips.
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