CDC: From November 3, All U.S.-Bound Air Passengers Must Attest They Have Not Been in DR Congo in the Prior 21 Days

ATLANTA — The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its traveler guidance and issued a memorandum on October 22: after November 3, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, all passengers boarding an international flight to the United States, regardless of location of embarkation, must attest — sign a statement — that they have not been present in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) during the 21 days before their flight leaves for the United States. According to Reuters, the CDC set the requirement in a memo on Thursday, citing the risks of Ebola.

Under the CDC rules, travelers — including U.S. citizens and U.S. nationals — who have been in the DRC within 21 days before departure will not be allowed to board flights with U.S. destinations. They should plan to remain outside the United States for at least 21 days after they leave the DRC, and may return beginning on day 22. The restriction applies even if the traveler was only on an airplane that stopped at an airport in the DRC, whether or not they disembarked. Travelers who have been in outbreak-affected provinces in the DRC may also face additional travel requirements from local authorities before they leave.

Separate arrangements apply to South Sudan and Uganda. Non-U.S. citizens and non-U.S. nationals, including U.S. lawful permanent residents (Green Card holders), who have been in South Sudan or Uganda within 21 days before departure will not be allowed to enter the United States and should remain outside the country for at least 21 days after leaving. U.S. citizens and U.S. nationals who have been in South Sudan or Uganda, but not in the DRC, may enter, but their air travel will be routed through designated U.S. airports for public health entry screening: Washington-Dulles International Airport (IAD) outside Washington, D.C., Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) in Atlanta, Georgia, and John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York, New York.

Entry screening includes completing a brief questionnaire about travel history and symptoms, having one's temperature checked, being observed for signs of illness by CDC staff, and being enrolled in automated CDC text messages reminding the traveler to monitor their health for 21 days after leaving the affected country. The CDC will also share travelers' contact information with state or local public health authorities, as needed, for follow-up and support. Travelers with a fever or other symptoms consistent with Ebola will receive an additional evaluation by a CDC public health medical officer, and suspected cases will be transferred to a hospital for medical evaluation, isolation, and care.

The CDC had previously adopted rules barring travelers, including U.S. citizens and U.S. nationals, who had been in the DRC within 21 days before departure from boarding commercial flights to the United States; the new attestation requirement extends the check to every passenger on every U.S.-bound international flight. GSM has previously reported that this year's Ebola outbreak in the DRC has spread to an eighth province in that country, with confirmed cases reported in Kenya, Nigeria, and elsewhere in the region.

The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus; according to Reuters, more than 9,500 people have been infected and more than 4,600 have died in the DRC.

Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)

Photo: 图：时任美国海关与边境保护局局长 R. Gil Kerlikowske 在 Washington-Dulles International Airport 视察埃博拉入境筛查安排（资料图）。照片：美国海关与边境保护局 CBP，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Then-U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske touring Ebola entry screening arrangements at Washington-Dulles International Airport (file photo). Photo: U.S. Customs and Border Protection, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

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