21 days at personal expense: Uganda’s new rule for returnees from Congo

Uganda is requiring its citizens returning from the Democratic Republic of Congo to isolate for 21 days at their own expense.

The health ministry announced the protocol on Sunday, a move designed to prevent the Ebola virus from entering the country. The new regulations also ban travelers who have recently been in DR Congo from transiting through Uganda. Officials have intensified screening at Entebbe International Airport and all land border crossings, adding extra checks at specific road checkpoints.

The outbreak in DR Congo has claimed more than 4,800 lives since May, marking it as the deadliest in the nation's history. While the World Health Organization declared Uganda free of the disease in August after recording 20 cases and two deaths early in the surge, recent events have raised concerns. Two individuals tested positive in Kenya and Nigeria after passing through Entebbe airport on the same day, prompting the tighter controls.

Jean Kaseya, head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, identified the Nigerian patient as the Ugandan-born wife of a Swiss diplomat. She had visited Kampala for a holiday before traveling to eastern DR Congo. The Kenyan patient was a businessman with business interests in DR Congo. Diana Atwine, the health ministry's permanent secretary, stated that CCTV footage showed no physical interaction between the two travelers in Uganda.

The Kenyan businessman died two days after arriving in Nairobi. Kenya has since confirmed eight other cases, and a relative of the businessman died over the weekend. In Uganda, health officials reported that all 60 people monitored for contact with the Kenyan patient have been discharged. The ministry is currently working with Nigeria to determine the full travel history and possible exposure routes for the woman in Nigeria.

Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi told the BBC's Newsday programme that only essential travelers from DR Congo would be admitted. He described the measures as "intense public health measures" necessary to ensure Uganda remains free of Ebola. Baryomunsi noted that the country shares a border with DR Congo, where transmission continues, and that communities remain closely linked through trade and family ties.

The Bundibugyo strain of Ebola is responsible for the current outbreak. The virus spreads through contact with infected bodily fluids. There is no approved vaccine or specific treatment, though trials are underway.