Every US-Bound Air Passenger Must Attest They Have Not Been in Congo in the Past 21 Days From November 3

The United States will require every air passenger bound for the country to sign a statement confirming they have not been in the Democratic Republic of Congo during the previous 21 days, under a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention order that takes effect on November 3. Reuters reported the step on October 22 after seeing a CDC memo, and the agency set out the requirement on its traveler information page, which it updated the same day.

What passengers must sign

The attestation applies to all passengers boarding an international flight to the United States, regardless of where the flight begins. Travelers must submit the signed declaration electronically or on paper before boarding, the CDC page says. The statement covers the 21 days before the flight leaves for the United States, and the CDC page states that the rule applies after 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on November 3.

The new paperwork does not lift the existing travel bar. Travelers, including United States citizens and nationals, who have been in Congo within 21 days before departure will not be allowed to board a flight to the United States at all. They should plan to stay outside the country for at least 21 days after leaving Congo, and they can return beginning on day 22.

Rules for Uganda and South Sudan also stay in place

Separate restrictions cover two other countries tied to the outbreak response. Non-citizens, including green card holders, who have been in Uganda or South Sudan within 21 days before departure cannot enter the United States until those 21 days have passed. United States citizens and nationals who have been in Uganda or South Sudan, but not Congo, can enter, and their flights are routed through designated airports for public health screening: Washington Dulles, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson and New York JFK. During screening, CDC staff take temperatures, ask about travel history and symptoms, observe travelers for signs of illness and enroll them in automated text messages that remind them to watch their health for 21 days.

The outbreak behind the order

The measures respond to the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which spread without detection for months before the outbreak was declared in May. The strain kills about half of the people it infects and has no approved treatment or vaccine, Reuters reported. The outbreak has killed about 4,700 people in Africa, according to the Africa CDC. The CDC says no Ebola cases linked to this outbreak have been reported in the United States.

The CDC adopted the first boarding restrictions in May, barring passengers who had been in Congo in the previous three weeks, and extended them to United States citizens in July. The agency is holding briefing calls with major United States and foreign airlines on Friday, October 23, to explain how carriers should apply the attestation rule. Airlines for America, which represents United, American, Southwest and Delta, did not immediately comment, Reuters said.