US tightens travel rules for people returning from Ebola-hit regions

Aug 7 (Reuters) – The U.S. is temporarily restricting travel for certain passengers who recently visited Uganda, South ‌Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in an ‌effort to reduce the risk of Ebola transmission.

The measures are a part ​of U.S. public health protocols for travelers arriving from areas affected by Ebola.

Here are some details:

• U.S. citizens and U.S. nationals who have been present in Uganda or South Sudan (and not ‌present in DRC) within ⁠21 days before arrival in the U.S. will have their air travel routed through designated ⁠U.S. airports for public health entry screening, CDC guidelines said on Friday.

• The requirement applies even to passengers who only transited ​through Uganda ​or South Sudan on a ​connecting flight, the Centers ‌for Disease Control and Prevention said.

• The agency said travelers, including U.S. citizens and U.S. nationals, who have been in DRC within 21 days before departure would not be allowed to board commercial flights with U.S. destinations.

• Those travelers should ‌remain outside the U.S. until 21 ​days have passed since they left ​DRC, it said.

• Travelers ​who have been in Ebola outbreak-affected provinces ‌in DRC may face additional travel ​requirements imposed ​by local authorities before they are permitted to leave the country, according to CDC.

• If Ebola is suspected, patients ​will be transferred ‌to a hospital for medical evaluation, isolation and ​care.

(Reporting by Siddhi Mahatole and Sneha S K in ​Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)