(NEW YORK) — Americans will no longer be able to fly directly home from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) under a new process outlined by U.S. officials amid the ongoing Ebola outbreak
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Homeland Security are working together on a “Do Not Board” process for Americans in the DRC, the CDC said in a social media post Wednesday.
“The Do Not Board list prevents a person from obtaining a boarding pass for any flight into, out of, or within the United States,” the CDC website reads.
Previously, only non-citizens had been barred from traveling back to the U.S. from the Ebola outbreak regions, and American travelers were being screened at select airports for any signs of the virus.
Now, under the new measure, Americans departing from the DRC will only be able to return to the U.S. 21 days after leaving that country.
The moves comes as the DRC has seen over 2,000 cases and 750 deaths from Ebola, making it the third largest outbreak on record.
Earlier this week, the CDC announced a second American infected with Ebola in the DR had been transferred to Germany for care. The CDC said the unnamed patient works for a humanitarian aid organization.
The first American infected with Ebola was a doctor who contracted the disease while treating patients in the DRC. Dr. Peter Stafford was evacuated to Germany at the time to receive specialty care.
Stafford was discharged from the hospital in June, and the family has since returned to the United States.
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