WASHINGTON – Americans and lawful permanent residents who have recently been in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan must now enter the United States only through Washington Dulles International Airport, the State Department said Thursday. The requirement applies to travelers who were in those countries within the previous three weeks and are exempt from the broader entry suspension that affects most foreign nationals. At Dulles, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. Customs and Border Protection are conducting enhanced public health screenings aimed at detecting possible Ebola exposure and determining whether returning travelers require monitoring. WASHINGTON – U.S. officials imposed the routing rule as the Bundibugyo strain Ebola outbreak in Central Africa expands, prompting the World Health Organization to declare a public health emergency of international concern after at least 139 deaths and 600 suspected cases. The measures echo steps taken during the 2014 Ebola crisis but now focus arrivals on a single airport to streamline screening. The order followed a Wednesday incident in which an Air France flight from Paris to Detroit was diverted to Montreal after authorities discovered a passenger from Congo who should not have boarded under existing Ebola-related entry restrictions, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Prepared by Olivia Bennett and reviewed by editorial team.