United States | State Department, DHS and CDC announce actions in response to Ebola outbreak

The U.S. State Department, Department of Homeland Security and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have each announced actions in response to the Ebola outbreak in certain countries in Africa.

Key takeaways:

State Department pauses visa services. As previously reported, the State Department announced a temporary pause of all visa services at U.S. embassies in Congo, South Sudan and Uganda due to the ongoing Ebola outbreak, effective May 18, 2026. The embassies have also published health alerts on their respective websites: U.S. Embassy in the Democratic Republic of Congo, U.S. Embassy in South Sudan and U.S. Embassy in Uganda.

CDC issues Title 42 Order. On May 18, 2026, the CDC issued a “Title 42 Order” that “implemented enhanced travel screening, entry restrictions and public health measures to prevent Ebola disease from entering the United States amid ongoing outbreaks in East and Central Africa” and states, “This order will be in effect for 30 days, effective immediately.”

DHS prepublishes arrival restrictions in Federal Register. DHS is scheduled to publish arrival restrictions in the Federal Register on May 21, 2026. According to the directive, all flights departing after 11:59 p.m. EDT on May 20, 2026, “carrying persons who have recently traveled from, or were otherwise present within, the DRC, Uganda, or South Sudan only land at the following airport: Washington-Dulles International Airport (IAD), Virginia.”

BAL will continue to monitor developments and provide updates.

This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice Group.

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