Uganda Announces 21-Day Quarantine for Citizens Returning From Congo Amid Ebola Alert

KAMPALA, October 25, 2026. Uganda says its citizens returning from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with a history of travel there will undergo 21 days of quarantine as the country tightens safeguards against Ebola. Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi announced the measure on Sunday, according to Reuters’ October 25 report. Uganda has not announced a new domestic outbreak in that statement.

The distinction matters: the quarantine announcement concerns Ugandan citizens returning from the DRC, while the separate arrival-declaration requirement applies more broadly to travellers entering Uganda. The measures should not be described as a blanket 21-day quarantine for every visitor.

At a glance: what is confirmed

New measure: 21-day quarantine for Ugandan citizens returning with a DRC travel history, as announced October 25.
Border screening: intensified at Entebbe International Airport and land crossings, according to the health minister.
Arrival paperwork: Uganda’s official health portal directs arriving travellers to complete the relevant declaration and locator form.
Domestic status: Uganda’s health ministry declared the earlier outbreak over on July 28; surveillance has continued.

Why Uganda is tightening precautions

Uganda borders the DRC, where the Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak continues. The World Health Organization’s October 23 situation report recorded 9,704 confirmed cases and 4,687 deaths in the DRC as of October 20. Those figures describe the DRC outbreak, not cases in Uganda. WHO also reported imported cases in Kenya and Nigeria and said investigations into travel histories and possible exposures were ongoing.

Ugandan officials have investigated travel links involving the cases identified outside the country. Reuters reported that all 60 contacts traced in connection with a Kenyan case had completed monitoring. Completing contact monitoring is not the same as proving that cross-border transmission risk has ended.

What travellers should do now

Anyone planning travel involving Uganda or the DRC should check current entry requirements with the relevant health ministry, airline and border authority before departure. Uganda’s official arrival-declaration page provides forms for air arrivals and truck drivers. Rules may change rapidly, and an announcement does not establish how every individual border case will be handled.

There is also an important policy distinction: WHO’s October 23 update advises against restrictions on travel or trade with affected countries, while national authorities may introduce their own border measures. Readers should distinguish international public-health advice from enforceable national entry rules.

Video: why there is no clip in this report

At publication, we could not independently confirm an authorized, exact-event video of the October 25 ministerial announcement with working embed permission. No older Ebola footage or unrelated airport clip has been inserted as if it showed Sunday’s announcement. For primary updates, consult the Uganda Ministry of Health and the WHO outbreak information hub.

Further context

For related reporting, see Tectonics’ earlier coverage of the regional Ebola response. This report concerns a new Ugandan border policy, not a new confirmed Ugandan infection.

Featured image: archival photograph of Entebbe International Airport, 2009, by Katanasov (Wikivoyage), released into the public domain by its creator. Original image and reuse terms on Wikimedia Commons. The image does not show 2026 Ebola screening or quarantine.

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