Uganda-bound travellers face 21-day paid Ebola isolation after DRC trips

Uganda has ordered citizens who return after travelling to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to quarantine for 21 days, stepping up precautions against the Ebola virus. Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi announced the measure on Sunday, 25 October 2026, at a news conference in Kampala.

Key facts

• Who is affected: Ugandan citizens returning with a travel history to the DRC
• What is required: 21 days of quarantine, paid for by the returnees themselves, according to the Ministry of Health
• Announced: 25 October 2026 by Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi in Kampala
• Border measures: stronger checks at Entebbe International Airport and land crossings
• All incoming travellers: must complete forms recording how they can be contacted

What is changing?

Returning Ugandans with a history of travel to the DRC must now undergo 21 days of quarantine and cover the cost themselves, the Ministry of Health said. Officials have also tightened checks at Entebbe International Airport and at land crossings.

All incoming travellers are now required to complete forms recording how they can be contacted. The source does not state whether the quarantine requirement applies to non-Ugandan travellers arriving from the DRC.

Why is this happening?

Uganda says it has no active infections after ending its own outbreak in July. The country declared its Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak over on 28 July after recording 20 infections and two deaths, according to the Health Ministry.

The measure follows Ebola cases in Kenya and Nigeria that raised questions about travellers passing through Uganda. Swiss authorities have said a Ugandan-born woman married to a Swiss diplomat contracted Ebola during a visit to Uganda in September. Nigeria confirmed her infection on 20 October after she had travelled to Abuja.

Baryomunsi challenged that conclusion, saying relatives who had previously visited the DRC met the woman in a Kampala suburb and questioning whether that possible route of exposure had been ruled out. The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday that the information it had received did not show that the woman herself had travelled to the DRC. Nigerian and Ugandan officials are investigating her movements and possible source of infection.

The inquiry has also turned to a Kenyan man who travelled from the DRC through Uganda before flying to Nairobi on 3 October. He died two days later, and Kenya has since reported a second Ebola death. Both patients passed through Entebbe airport on the same day, but Ugandan officials said security footage showed no physical interaction between them. Nigerian authorities said genetic testing found closely related viruses in the two cases, though no direct link had been established.

Baryomunsi said 60 people traced in Uganda after possible contact with the Kenyan patient had completed 21 days of monitoring and been discharged.

How serious is the outbreak in the region?

In neighbouring DRC, where the outbreak began in May, the WHO had recorded 9,704 cases and 4,687 deaths by 20 October. Ebola has reached eight Congolese provinces, making this the country's largest recorded outbreak of the virus.

Ebola can cause haemorrhagic fever and spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people. Symptoms can take up to 21 days to appear, according to the WHO. The strain responsible for the current outbreak, known as Bundibugyo, has no approved vaccine or specific treatment.

What this means for travellers

Ugandan citizens returning from the DRC should plan for 21 days of quarantine at their own expense. All incoming travellers should expect to complete contact forms and face strengthened checks at Entebbe International Airport and land crossings.

In its 23 October update, the WHO urged stronger monitoring and cooperation across borders, while advising against restrictions on travel or trade with affected countries.