US extends Ebola entry ban for DR Congo, Uganda and South Sudan travelers to 12 August

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has extended, for a second time, the order that bars most non-US citizens from entering the United States if they have been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda or South Sudan within the previous 21 days. The continuation order was issued on 13 July 2026, took effect at 5:00pm Eastern time the same day, and runs through 4:59pm EDT on Wednesday 12 August 2026. It was formally published in the Federal Register on 16 July. The measure responds to the ongoing outbreak of Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus strain confirmed in the DRC and Uganda.

Background

The CDC issued the original suspension order on 18 May 2026, using its authority under Sections 362 and 365 of the Public Health Service Act — the same "Title 42" powers used at the border during the COVID-19 pandemic. The order has since been continued on 21 June and again on 13 July, each time for 30 days. A significant early change came on 22 May, when an interim final rule removed the exemption for lawful permanent residents: since then, green-card holders who have recently been in the three countries are covered by the ban alongside other non-citizens, an unusual step that health-policy analysts at KFF flagged as a first for this authority.

What exactly the order does

The order suspends the "right to introduce" covered persons into the United States. In practice, a non-US citizen of any nationality who has departed from or been present in the DRC, Uganda or South Sudan during the previous 21 days will be denied entry, whether they arrive by air or by land. US citizens and US nationals are exempt, along with certain US government and military personnel, and case-by-case exceptions exist on humanitarian and law-enforcement grounds. The 21-day threshold matches the incubation period of Ebola. The CDC is accepting written public comments on the order until 31 July 2026.

Who it affects

The order matters most to three groups. First, residents and dual nationals of the three countries who hold US visas or green cards: a green-card holder visiting family in Kampala, for example, cannot board a US-bound flight until 21 full days have passed since leaving Uganda. Second, third-country travelers who transit or work in the region — aid workers, contractors, researchers — face the same 21-day count regardless of citizenship. Third, anyone with a US immigration appointment: the State Department has also paused routine visa services in the affected countries, so consular processing there remains limited while the outbreak lasts.

What this means in practice

Travelers connected to the region can plan around the 21-day rule: spending three full weeks in a country not covered by the order before onward travel to the US restores eligibility under the order's terms. Anyone with imminent US travel and recent presence in the DRC, Uganda or South Sudan should check the CDC order and their airline's guidance before booking, since carriers enforce the ban at check-in. For the wider picture on moving to the US, see our United States country guide (/country-guides/united-states).