Uganda requires returnees from Congo to pay for 21-day isolation
The new rules follow two positive Ebola cases detected in travelers who transited through Kampala.
By Samir Patterson ·
Uganda is tightening its borders as Ebola spreads across the region, forcing citizens returning from the Democratic Republic of Congo to isolate for three weeks at their own expense. The health ministry announced the mandate on Sunday, a move that ends a period of relative calm since the World Health Organization declared Uganda free of the disease in August.
The decision comes after two individuals tested positive for the virus after passing through Entebbe International Airport. One was a Kenyan businessman who had traveled from the DR Congo for business; he died two days after arriving in Nairobi. The other was the Ugandan-born wife of a Swiss diplomat, who was traveling on holiday. Health officials say the two cases prompted a review of transit protocols at the airport and land borders.
Under the new guidelines, travelers from the DR Congo are no longer permitted to transit through Uganda. Those who must cross the border for essential reasons will face intensified screening. The ministry stated that returning Ugandans must undergo 21 days of quarantine, with the cost borne by the traveler. Officials have also added screening stations at designated road checkpoints along land borders to complement the checks at the airport.
Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi explained the strictness of the measures to the BBC’s Newsday programme. He noted that while Uganda has not reported cases within its borders since the outbreak began, the risk remains high due to the shared border and close community ties. “All these are measures to ensure that we keep Uganda free of Ebola,” Baryomunsi said. He added that only essential travelers from the DR Congo would be allowed entry, subject to intense public health oversight.
The DR Congo outbreak has been the deadliest on record, with more than 4,800 deaths since May. Kenya has confirmed eight additional cases following the death of the businessman. A relative of the deceased man also died over the weekend. In Nigeria, authorities are working with Ugandan officials to map the diplomatic spouse’s travel history and potential routes of exposure, as she had traveled to eastern DR Congo before transiting through Kampala.
Diana Atwine, the permanent secretary of the health ministry, addressed concerns about a link between the two infected travelers. She pointed to CCTV footage from Entebbe airport showing no physical interaction between them. Meanwhile, the ministry reported that all 60 people who had been monitored for contact with the Kenyan patient have been discharged.
The Bundibugyo strain of Ebola driving this outbreak is relatively rare, and no vaccine or specific treatment is currently available, though trials are underway. The virus spreads through contact with infected bodily fluids such as blood or vomit. Uganda had recorded 20 cases and two deaths earlier in the outbreak before being cleared by the WHO in August.
