Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has been thrust into chaos after a deadly Ebola outbreak hit Congo.
The Department of Homeland Security implemented new restrictions for foreign travelers coming to the U.S. on Thursday after six Americans were exposed to the deadly virus.
That includes a U.S. physician, Dr. Peter Stafford, working in Congo, who has been flown to Germany for treatment after the United States delayed his evacuation amid a dispute over where he would receive treatment, according to The Washington Post.
According to World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus, there have been about 600 reported cases of the virus in Congo so far, resulting in 139 deaths.
He also noted that the virus appears to have been spreading for some time before health officials identified it.
Beginning Thursday, the United States will require all passenger flights bound for the country that include foreign travelers who have been in Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan at any point during the previous 21 days to arrive exclusively at Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia, CBS News reported.
The Department of Homeland Security said the measure is intended to concentrate public health screening and response resources at a single entry point to strengthen monitoring and containment efforts.
Officials clarified that the restriction applies only to passenger aircraft, not cargo flights.
It comes after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Monday that individuals who are not U.S. passport holders and who have been in Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan at any point within the previous three weeks would not be allowed into the United States.
It remains uncertain how the newly issued DHS rule aligns with or affects the CDC directive.
Just a few days after the CDC issued its directive, U.S. authorities encountered a near-incident this week when a Detroit-bound flight was diverted to Canada after a traveler from Congo was mistakenly allowed to board “in error.”
A spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection said officials responded by taking “decisive action,” preventing the aircraft from landing at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport.
“Due to entry restrictions put in place to reduce the risk of the Ebola virus, the passenger should not have boarded the plane,” the CBP spokesperson said in a written statement.
Health experts said that the outbreak is associated with the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which currently has no approved vaccines or specific treatments, according to CBS News. The strain has a 25 to 50 percent fatality rate.
The World Health Organization has classified the situation as a public health emergency of international concern, though it has not yet escalated it to the level of a global pandemic emergency.
