Uganda Quarantine Policy: Returnees Must Fund 21-Day Isolation

Ugandan citizens returning from the Democratic Republic of Congo must now pay for their own 21-day quarantine stay. The health ministry announced the measure on Sunday, a move designed to prevent the Ebola virus from entering the country. The directive also bars travelers who have recently been in the DR Congo from transiting through Uganda.

The new regulations place the financial burden of isolation on the individual. The ministry stated that it has increased screening efforts at Entebbe International Airport and all land border crossings. Additional checks are now conducted at designated road checkpoints to monitor incoming traffic.

Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi told the BBC's Newsday program that only essential travelers from the DR Congo will be admitted. He described the new protocols as "intense public health measures" intended "to ensure that we keep Uganda free of Ebola." The ministry had previously declared the country free of the disease in August after recording 20 cases and two deaths early in the outbreak.

The tightened controls respond to recent cases detected in neighboring countries. A Kenyan businessman who had business interests in the DR Congo arrived in Nairobi and tested positive for Ebola. He died two days after his arrival. Kenya has since confirmed eight other cases, including a second woman, a relative of the businessman, who died over the weekend.

A second positive case was identified in Nigeria. Jean Kaseya, head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, identified the patient as the Ugandan-born wife of a Swiss diplomat. She had traveled to Kampala for a holiday. Ugandan officials initially stated she only transited through the country, but the ministry now says it is working with Nigeria to determine her full travel history and potential exposure routes.

Diana Atwine, the health ministry's permanent secretary, noted that CCTV footage showed no physical interaction between the Kenyan businessman and the Nigerian woman in Uganda. The ministry reported that 60 people monitored after contact with the Kenyan patient have all been discharged.

The current outbreak in the DR Congo has killed more than 4,800 people since May, making it the deadliest in the country's history. The disease has spread to several other nations. Baryomunsi emphasized that Uganda shares a border with the DR Congo, where transmission continues, and that communities are linked through trade, travel, and family ties.