The U.S. federal government on May 18 said it will not let non-citizens enter the United States if they have been to African countries affected by, or close to, a new Ebola outbreak within the last 21 days.
The countries are Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Sudan, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a public health order.
The order, signed by acting CDC Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, suspends the right of people from those countries to enter the United States because of “the serious risk posed by the introduction of Ebola disease into the United States by covered aliens based on the emergent outbreak of Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus strain.”
U.S. officials are also going to step up public health screening and monitoring of other travelers who have arrived from areas affected by the outbreak, according to the CDC. Screening includes identifying symptoms such as fever and analyzing possible exposure history.
“At this time, CDC assesses the immediate risk to the general U.S. public as low, but we will continue to evaluate the evolving situation and may adjust public health measures as additional information becomes available,” the public health agency said in a statement.
The outbreak has since spread to Uganda, while South Sudan borders the region in Congo where many of the cases have been recorded.
The virus behind the outbreak, the Bundibugyo virus, has no vaccine or specific treatment.
The CDC had said over the weekend that travelers to the Congo should not go to the Ituri province, the outbreak epicenter, and that if traveling to other parts of the country they should be cautious.