New Rule Drops For Americans Exposed To Ebola

Americans exposed to Ebola overseas will not be permitted to return to the United States if they develop symptoms under a new Trump administration policy announced Thursday, according to senior administration officials.

Instead, those exposed will be sent to a new facility being set up in Kenya for quarantine.

The World Health Organization declared the Bundibugyo strain ​of Ebola, for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment, an emergency of international concern this month. Cases are rising sharply. More than 900 suspected cases and more than 200 suspected deaths have ​been reported so far.

The Kenya facility is for high-risk Americans who have been exposed to the virus but are still asymptomatic, the officials said. It will also be equipped to provide more advanced care and support for U.S. citizens who develop symptoms until they are evacuated, the officials told reporters.

Patients who need to be evacuated will be taken to third countries, not the United States, the official said, because it is faster, and to protect Americans at home. They denied the decision was politically motivated.

Secretary of State Marco ​Rubio had said on Wednesday that “we cannot and will not allow any cases of Ebola to enter the United States” and the U.S. last week imposed entry restrictions on travelers who have been in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan in the past 21 days, including lawful permanent residents, known as green card holders.

The facility, approved by the Kenyan government, will become operational on Friday with a 50-bed unit, the U.S. officials said, with plans to add two biocontainment units, each capable of holding two patients, and three isolation units, each capable of holding four patients.

(Additional reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Doina Chiacu)