DR Congo’s national football team must complete a 21-day isolation period before entering the United States.
DR Congo national football team have been ordered to remain in isolation in Belgium because of the ongoing Ebola outbreak.
The team cancelled a planned training camp in Kinshasa and instead moved preparations to Belgium. US officials said the players must stay inside a strict “bubble” for 21 days before travelling to the United States.
Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force for the World Cup, warned that any breach of the isolation rules could prevent the squad from entering the country.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently banned entry for non-Americans who have visited Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan within the previous 21 days because of the Ebola outbreak.
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday raised the Ebola risk level in DR Congo from “high” to “very high”. Although global risk levels are said to remain low.
DR Congo are scheduled to play friendly matches against Denmark and Chile before opening their World Cup campaign against Portugal.
The Ebola outbreak is now becoming a major issue for international travel and sporting events.