USA Temporarily Suspends Visa Services in Juba, Kinshasa, and Kampala Due to Ebola Outbreak: What It Means for Tourists and Transit Passengers

The USA has introduced several stricter measures that directly affect travel from parts of East and Central Africa. Starting May 18, 2026, US embassies in Juba, Kinshasa, and Kampala have temporarily suspended all visa services. Simultaneously, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) introduced temporary entry restrictions for some travelers who have recently been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan, and strengthened airport controls for those who are still permitted to enter. For the tourism market, this is not a local technical news item, but an important signal: in periods of epidemiological tension, even major destinations can very quickly move from a normal regime to complex multi-level restrictions.

The main practical conclusion for travelers is simple: if a trip to the USA is linked to applying for a visa in Uganda, DR Congo, or South Sudan, you cannot rely on the standard schedule now. If a person already has a valid US visa, the visa itself is not automatically canceled, but the route, flight admission, and entry procedure may depend on where exactly they have been during the last 21 days.

What Exactly Changed on May 18

The US Department of State officially announced that starting May 18, 2026, US embassies in Juba, Kinshasa, and Kampala have temporarily paused all visa services. This applies not only to immigration cases but also to the full spectrum of non-immigrant categories: tourist, business, student, exchange, and others. This means that new interview appointments at these three diplomatic missions are currently unavailable, and applicants with already scheduled slots must wait for a separate notification regarding rescheduling.

An important detail that reduces panic but does not remove uncertainty: this decision does not cancel existing visas. The State Department explicitly states that already issued valid visas remain in effect. Additionally, paid non-immigrant visa fees do not expire instantly: for scheduling an interview, they remain valid for 365 days from the date of the receipt. However, this is more of a relief for those who have not yet completely lost the opportunity to travel than a guarantee of a quick return to the usual schedule.

Why the USA Took This Step

The formal reason given by the American side is related to health and security considerations. The trigger was an Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus. According to the World Health Organization, on May 15, 2026, the Democratic Republic of the Congo officially announced a new outbreak of the disease, and imported cases were confirmed in Uganda. By May 17, the WHO designated this outbreak in DR Congo and Uganda as a public health emergency of international concern.

For the tourism sector, not only the medical wording is important, but also the geography of risk. The WHO explicitly points out that Ituri is a trade and migration hub with active cross-border mobility, and proximity to Uganda and South Sudan increases the risk of regional spread. It is precisely because of high human mobility that governments usually strengthen not only sanitary control but also consular and border procedures.

Who Is Most Affected

The new restrictions hit four groups of travelers hardest. First, tourists and business passengers who intended to apply for a US visa specifically in Kampala, Kinshasa, or Juba. Second, students and exchange program participants, for whom the timing of the interview is often critical due to study start dates. Third, people who planned a trip to the USA via a third country but have been in the restricted zone in recent weeks. Fourth, tour operators, corporate travel managers, and families organizing complex routes with multiple connections who must now check not only the ticket and visa but also the epidemiological trail of the journey.

It is also important to understand: the problem is not limited to citizenship. In the current configuration of rules, the key factor is not only the passport but also the fact of staying in DR Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan during the last 21 days before attempting to enter the USA. This changes the travel planning logic for transit travelers, employees of international companies, volunteers, consultants, and everyone moving not on a linear "home - airport - USA" route, but through several countries in succession.

What the CDC Changed in US Entry Rules

On May 23, the CDC separately published clarifications for travelers returning to or flying to the USA after staying in DR Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan. According to these rules, a temporary entry ban applies to certain non-US citizens who have been in one of these countries within the last 21 days. Even stricter news came after May 22, when US authorities extended the possibility of such restrictions to lawful permanent residents of the USA, i.e., Green Card holders, if they have recently been in the specified countries.

At the same time, US citizens and US nationals may enter, but no longer in the usual mode. Enhanced health screening, collection of contact details, and subsequent monitoring after arrival are provided for them. For the travel market, this means that even a passenger with a legal right of entry must account for additional time, route changes, and potentially different requirements from the airline even before boarding the flight.

How Airports and Transfers Will Now Work

The CDC also specified that travelers permitted to enter the USA after staying in DR Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan may be redirected to arrive through specific airports. Initially, Washington Dulles International Airport became such a point, where enhanced screening routing began operating from the night of May 20. Later, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport was added to the system from the night of May 22, and from the night of May 26, George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.

In practice, this means that a ticket to the USA no longer guarantees arrival at the airport that was most convenient at the time of booking. The airline may change the travel scheme so that the passenger arrives at a point where CDC-designated control is operational. This affects connections, travel time, baggage handling, domestic flight bookings, and sometimes overnight stays between segments. For a tourist or a family with children, such a change can mean not just a longer journey, but a completely different logistics for the entire trip.

The screening itself includes a short questionnaire about the route and symptoms, temperature control, observation by CDC specialists, and in some cases, an additional health assessment. If there are no symptoms, the person is usually allowed to continue their journey, but with instructions for self-monitoring for 21 days. If symptoms are present, the further route may stop at the level of medical assessment and isolation.

What This Means for the Tourism Market

For a wide audience, it is important to see in this story not only a crisis headline but also a structural lesson for the market. Tourism is increasingly dependent on how quickly states combine consular policy, border control, aviation logistics, and sanitary rules. Today, restrictions affect three US embassies and certain routes from a specific region. But for carriers, insurance companies, booking platforms, and corporate clients, this is another reminder that the concept of "travel readiness" now includes significantly more than a visa and a ticket.

Such changes are especially sensitive for routes with multiple segments, humanitarian, educational, and business trips, as well as for destinations where people often apply for visas not in their country of citizenship, but at their place of temporary residence or work. Even if the tourist themselves has no connection to the outbreak region, they should understand: global mobility works as a single system, and any sharp decision in one hub quickly affects airlines, consulates, transit, and flight admission rules.

What Travelers Should Do Now

Those who may be affected should act as pragmatically as possible. If a US visa interview was scheduled in Kampala, Kinshasa, or Juba, you should follow only official notifications from the State Department and the specific embassy, not relying on rumors about a "quick reopening." If a visa is already held, before flying, it is necessary to check whether the route falls under the new CDC rules due to staying in DR Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan in the last 21 days. It is also worth clarifying with the airline whether the arrival airport in the USA will be changed.

Additionally, a reserve of time and budget should be allocated. Enhanced control almost always means more expensive flexibility: possible costs for ticket changes, additional accommodation, new connections, re-booking of domestic segments, or postponing the trip overall. For those traveling during the peak season or for a specific event, this is particularly sensitive.

Conclusion

The temporary pause of visa services in Juba, Kinshasa, and Kampala is no longer just a narrow consular technical news item, but a full-fledged tourism event with consequences for bookings, routes, and entry rules. The USA has made it clear that under epidemiological risk conditions, they are ready to simultaneously restrict consular access, restructure aviation logistics, and strengthen border control. For travelers, this means one thing: in 2026, a reliable travel plan to the USA consists not only of a ticket and visa, but also of a careful check of the latest official rules, even if the trip has long been planned.