Travel restrictions tightened in Congo after Ebola case spread to France
Mandatory quarantine for 21 days
Written by Ziad Abdel Fattah:
The Republic stressed Congo Democracy imposed health restrictions on travel, requiring a mandatory 21-day quarantine for those arriving from Ebola-affected areas, following France's first recorded imported case linked to the ongoing outbreak.
Under a decree issued on June 24 and signed by Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba, anyone suspected of having been in contact with confirmed or probable cases of the virus is required to undergo active health monitoring for 21 days from the date of their last exposure. During this period, domestic and international travel is prohibited except with official authorization from health authorities.
The measures include healthcare workers.
The new measures also include health sector workers, laboratory staff and response teams returning from outbreak hotspots, who must adhere to the same monitoring period, in addition to obtaining prior approval before traveling abroad.
As part of expanding the scope of precautions, authorities have banned anyone who has resided in a province affected by the epidemic from traveling abroad, unless they have spent at least 21 days outside those areas.
The authorities have required all departing international travelers to fill out a health declaration form issued by the competent authorities at the border crossings, with airlines being held responsible for ensuring that these requirements are met as an additional screening procedure.
On Wednesday, France announced that a humanitarian doctor who arrived on a commercial flight from Kinshasa had tested positive for Ebola. He showed no symptoms before takeoff, but his condition worsened during the flight, raising concerns about cross-border transmission of the virus.
This comes amid a growing outbreak of the disease within Congo, driven by a rare strain known as “Bundibugyo”, for which there is still no approved vaccine or treatment, with the number of infections reaching 1,118 cases, including 291 deaths, according to recent official data.
