International Air flights - Credit Wikipedia
#19,182
Two days ago, in ECDC Ebola Update & Individual Country Responses From Canada, U.S. & Taiwan, we looked at recently imposed travel restrictions and protocols due to the central African Ebola outbreak here in the U.S., in Canada, and in Taiwan.
Although the there are long-standing international agreements not to restrict travel and trade during disease outbreaks (see 2005 IHR agreement), as Tip O'Neill famously noted; `. . . all politics is local'.
We saw this adage in action during the opening days of COVID, when much of the advice contained in the WHO's 2019 91-page Influenza NPI guidance document was quickly abandoned by member nations; particularly their recommendations against border closures and travel restrictions.
High-minded ideals (even when backed by science) hold little sway when public officials are forced explain to their constituents why they didn't even try to prevent the entry of a pandemic or epidemic virus.
Citing similar moves by both Canada and the United States, today Taiwan's government has amended their previously announced policy, and have suspended the issuance of entry visas from the DRC and Uganda (with 4 exceptions) for the next 90 days.
While not a huge story in and of itself, this is a reminder of how fluid the Ebola situation is - how concerned governments really are - and how quickly policies may be amended or changed.
As we discussed two days ago, there is no `one-size-fits-all' solution to the Ebola threat, and so we are likely to see a wide range of responses, with varying degrees of success.
Stay tuned.
The full translated announcement follows.
In response to the escalating Ebola outbreak, starting from 00:00 on June 2, 2026, entry into the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda will be suspended for 90 days, except for four categories of individuals.
Release Date: 2026-05-29The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) stated today (May 29) that, according to data released by the WHO as of May 27, 2026, the COVID-19 outbreak continues to expand in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda, primarily affecting Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu provinces within the DRC. The DRC has reported a cumulative total of 906 cases (223 deaths) and 125 confirmed cases (17 deaths). Uganda has reported a cumulative total of 7 confirmed cases to date, including 1 death. Based on the assessment of the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda are likely to continue to escalate.In addition to strengthening cross-airport joint prevention and control measures and enhancing port monitoring and interception mechanisms, Taiwan, in order to further reduce the risk of imported cases and referencing practices in the United States and Canada, has jointly discussed with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Bureau of Consular Affairs, the National Immigration Agency of the Ministry of the Interior, and the Civil Aeronautics Administration of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, and will implement new border epidemic prevention and control measures as follows:
I. Starting from 00:00 on June 2, 2026, the issuance of visas to residents of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda will be suspended; those already issued visas will have their entry temporarily suspended for 90 days. However, the following four categories of individuals will be excluded:
(I) Students who have already obtained admission permission from Taiwan; (II) Diplomatic and official duties; (III) Spouses of Taiwanese citizens who are not Taiwanese citizens and their minor children; (IV) Emergency or humanitarian assistance: such as attending funerals or visiting seriously ill relatives.
II. Taiwanese citizens who have traveled to epidemic areas within 21 days prior to entry, holders of valid Taiwanese residence permits, and those permitted to enter Taiwan are still subject to the measures announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on May 27. They must proactively report to the airport quarantine station upon arrival in Taiwan, where quarantine personnel will issue an "Inbound Passenger Self-Health Management Notice." They must conduct self-health management for 21 days after entry, and follow the requirements of the notice to report their health status. If symptoms appear, they should immediately call the epidemic prevention hotline 1922 for assistance from health authorities.
The CDC explained that the aforementioned control measures will be adjusted in a timely manner based on the latest international epidemic situation and the epidemic prevention risks at Taiwan's borders. The CDC reiterated that the travel epidemic recommendation level for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda is Level 3 "Warning," urging the public to avoid all non-essential travel to these countries.
The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reiterates that, to strengthen border quarantine, in addition to enhancing public awareness through airport multimedia electronic billboards, scrolling displays, and signage, it has been making in-flight announcements on all international flights arriving in Taiwan since May 27th. Passengers who have traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo or Uganda within the past 21 days are urged to proactively report to the quarantine station upon arrival in Taiwan for TOCC and health assessment. Please cooperate with the following quarantine measures:
1. Passengers assessed as having suspected Ebola virus infection symptoms (fever, headache, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, or bleeding, etc.) will be immediately transported by ambulance to a contracted hospital for examination, and local health authorities will be coordinated in their prevention and control efforts.
2. Asymptomatic passengers will be issued a "Notice of Self-Health Management for Passengers with Travel History to Ebola-Epidemic Areas." Upon arrival, please cooperate with 21 days of self-health management, keep your phone accessible for contact tracing by health authorities, take your temperature twice daily (morning and evening), and report your health status to the "Public Proactive E-Reporting System." If you experience any of the above symptoms, please call the epidemic prevention hotline 1922 immediately for assistance from the Health Bureau to seek medical attention. Those who do not cooperate with the above measures will be penalized in accordance with the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Act.
