Uganda makes travelers from Congo pay for three-week isolation

Uganda is entering a high-risk phase in its fight against the Ebola outbreak that has devastated the Democratic Republic of Congo. The government announced on Sunday that all Ugandan citizens returning from the DR Congo must undergo a 21-day quarantine period.

The new protocol requires travelers to cover the full cost of their isolation. In addition to the mandatory stay, individuals who have recently visited the DR Congo are prohibited from transiting through Ugandan airspace or territory. The health ministry stated that it has intensified screening procedures at Entebbe International Airport and all land border crossings, including additional checks at specific road checkpoints.

Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi told the BBC that only essential travelers from the DR Congo will be allowed to enter the country. He described the incoming measures as intense public health interventions designed to keep Ebola out of Uganda. Baryomunsi emphasized that the nation must remain vigilant because it shares a long border with the DR Congo, where the virus continues to spread through trade, travel, and family connections.

The strict measures follow concerns raised by two positive cases in neighboring countries. A Ugandan-born woman in Nigeria and a Kenyan businessman in Nairobi both tested positive after passing through Entebbe airport on the same day. The Kenyan man, who had business interests in the DR Congo, died two days after arriving in Nairobi. A second woman, identified as a relative of the businessman, died over the weekend. Kenya has since confirmed eight other cases.

Uganda reported 20 cases and two deaths early in the outbreak but was declared free of the disease by the World Health Organization in August. Officials said that 60 people who had contact with the Kenyan patient in Uganda have been discharged from monitoring. Jean Kaseya, head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, identified the Nigerian patient as the wife of a Swiss diplomat who had been vacationing in Kampala.

While the ministry initially stated that the woman in Nigeria only transited through Uganda, it announced on Sunday that Kampala and Abuja are working together to map her full travel history and possible exposure routes. Diana Atwine, the health ministry's permanent secretary, noted that CCTV footage showed no physical interaction between the two infected travelers in Uganda.

The current outbreak in the DR Congo has killed more than 4,800 people since May, making it the deadliest in the country's history. The Bundibugyo strain responsible for the surge is rare, and while clinical trials for vaccines and treatments are ongoing, no specific cure is currently available.