{
    "title": "US urges Belgium to impose entry ban on travellers from Congo ",
    "modified_at": "2026-06-10 10:36:55",
    "published_at": "2026-06-10 06:49:00",
    "url": "https://www.belganewsagency.eu/us-urges-belgium-to-impose-entry-ban-on-travellers-from-congo",
    "short_url": "http://prez.ly/jyId",
    "culture": "en_BE",
    "language": "EN",
    "slug": "us-urges-belgium-to-impose-entry-ban-on-travellers-from-congo",
    "body": "<p style=\"text-align: left\"><strong>The United States has asked Belgium to impose an entry ban on travellers from the Democratic Republic of Congo as part of efforts to </strong><a href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/belgian-institute-fears-major-ebola-outbreak-in-congo-and-uganda\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>prevent the spread of Ebola</strong></a><strong>, according to reports in De Morgen on Wednesday.</strong></p><p style=\"text-align: left\">The newspaper reports that US ambassador Bill White conveyed the request to the Belgian government. Last week, American diplomats across Europe were instructed by Washington to encourage host countries to align with US travel restrictions ahead of the World Cup, co-hosted in the US, which begins this week. Countries that fail to do so could face US entry restrictions.</p><p style=\"text-align: left\">The request would also require returning Belgian nationals to undergo quarantine measures. However, federal Health minister Frank Vandenbroucke is not planning to comply and intends to continue following guidance from the World Health Organization, according to the report.</p><p style=\"text-align: left\">Since mid-May, the US has barred entry to travellers who have recently visited the Democratic Republic of Congo or Uganda. Exemptions apply to US citizens, permanent residents, military personnel, government officials and close family members.</p><p style=\"text-align: left\">No Ebola cases have been reported in the US, but Washington fears that the arrival of millions of visitors for the World Cup could increase the risk of the virus spreading.</p><p><sup><br>\u200bRed Cross volunteers in the DRC carry the body of an Ebola victim &copy; PHOTO JOSPIN MWISHA / AFP</sup></p><hr /><p><strong>Related news</strong></p><div id=\"bookmark-9c6dc949-85f7-4199-8299-30527c604af5\"\n     class=\"release-content-bookmark release-content-bookmark--horizontal\">\n\n            <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__thumbnail\"\n           href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/belgium-backs-us-call-for-action-on-eastern-dr-congo\"\n           rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n           target=\"_blank\"           style=\"background-image: url(https://prezly.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.uc.assets.prezly.com%2F7f9fd2f6-171d-46f8-a228-84a2c643df7f%2F-%2Fpreview%2F600x600%2F?ar=1%3A1&amp;fit=crop&amp;s=5b4e36437c9ea64ae9814ebcf8b61cec)\"\n        ></a>\n    \n    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__details\">\n\n                    <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__title\"\n               href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/belgium-backs-us-call-for-action-on-eastern-dr-congo\"\n               rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n               target=\"_blank\"               data-type=\"bookmark\"\n               data-track=\"Story WebBookmark Click\"\n               data-placement=\"content\"\n               data-id=\"9c6dc949-85f7-4199-8299-30527c604af5\"\n           >\n                Belgium backs US call for action on eastern DR Congo            </a>\n        \n                    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__description\">\n                Belgium has backed a renewed United States call for the withdrawal of Rwandan forces from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the...            </div>\n        \n        <a href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/\"\n           target=\"_blank\"\n           rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"\n           class=\"release-content-bookmark__provider\"\n        >\n            <img class=\"release-content-bookmark__provider-icon\" src=\"https://avatars.prezly.com/favicon?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.belganewsagency.eu%2Fbelgium-backs-us-call-for-action-on-eastern-dr-congo&newsroom=6b71e247-a9ba-4732-aaa3-88be14c119db\" aria-hidden=\"true\" />\n            belganewsagency.eu        </a>\n    </div>\n</div>\n<div id=\"bookmark-36fad020-689a-4d43-ae52-a73161e2233e\"\n     class=\"release-content-bookmark release-content-bookmark--horizontal\">\n\n            <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__thumbnail\"\n           href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/ebola-outbreak-forces-congolese-squad-to-prepare-for-world-cup-in-belgium\"\n           rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n           target=\"_blank\"           style=\"background-image: url(https://prezly.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.uc.assets.prezly.com%2Fe0698cbc-a9c5-455f-896d-a152662ce4b2%2F-%2Fpreview%2F600x600%2F?ar=1%3A1&amp;fit=crop&amp;s=069f1ad23170c000fe024e8167e779b8)\"\n        ></a>\n    \n    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__details\">\n\n                    <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__title\"\n               href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/ebola-outbreak-forces-congolese-squad-to-prepare-for-world-cup-in-belgium\"\n               rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n               target=\"_blank\"               data-type=\"bookmark\"\n               data-track=\"Story WebBookmark Click\"\n               data-placement=\"content\"\n               data-id=\"36fad020-689a-4d43-ae52-a73161e2233e\"\n           >\n                Ebola outbreak forces Congolese squad to prepare for World Cup in Belgium            </a>\n        \n                    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__description\">\n                The Congolese national football team will carry out part of its World Cup preparations in Belgium due to the recent Ebola outbreak.            </div>\n        \n        <a href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/\"\n           target=\"_blank\"\n           rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"\n           class=\"release-content-bookmark__provider\"\n        >\n            <img class=\"release-content-bookmark__provider-icon\" src=\"https://avatars.prezly.com/favicon?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.belganewsagency.eu%2Febola-outbreak-forces-congolese-squad-to-prepare-for-world-cup-in-belgium&newsroom=6b71e247-a9ba-4732-aaa3-88be14c119db\" aria-hidden=\"true\" />\n            belganewsagency.eu        </a>\n    </div>\n</div>\n",
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    "links": [
        {
            "description": "Belgium backs US call for action on eastern DR Congo",
            "url": "https://www.belganewsagency.eu/belgium-backs-us-call-for-action-on-eastern-dr-congo"
        },
        {
            "description": "Ebola outbreak forces Congolese squad to prepare for World Cup in Belgium",
            "url": "https://www.belganewsagency.eu/ebola-outbreak-forces-congolese-squad-to-prepare-for-world-cup-in-belgium"
        }
    ],
    "author": {
        "first_name": "Flanders",
        "last_name": "News Service"
    },
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}