Bahrain and Jordan have announced travel bans on central African countries owing to the Ebola virus outbreak.
Visitors from Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are banned for 30 days, authorities in the two Middle East countries announced. Bahrain is also blocking travel from South Sudan and applying its ban to people who have visited any of the three countries in the past 30 days.
Jordanian citizens are exempt from their country's ban. Bahraini citizens arriving from the listed countries will be subject to approved health protocols.
The UAE's Ministry of Health and Prevention said it was prepared "to respond to any health developments or emerging situations, including those related to Ebola", but had not yet announced travel restrictions for specific countries.
Ahmed Al Sayegh, Minister of Health and Prevention, held discussions with the National Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Authority, which co-ordinated the response to the Covid pandemic. The organisations reviewed national health surveillance and response systems.
World Health Organisation director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus a public health emergency of international concern on Saturday. it was the first time the head of the agency has done so before convening an emergency committee.
At least 26 more suspected Ebola deaths were recorded in 24 hours in the eastern DRC, authorities said on Tuesday. They brought to 131 the deaths associated with the outbreak in the region.
There have been 516 suspected cases and 33 confirmed cases in the DRC, according to a daily bulletin published by health authorities. There have been two confirmed cases in neighbouring Uganda.
The Bahraini Civil Aviation Affairs authority said entry procedures through Bahrain International Airport had been updated for passengers arriving from the affected countries. It added that the suspension will remain in effect for 30 days from Tuesday and will be subject to continuous review.
