The CDC announced Friday, August 14, that it will hold a meeting in late August to decide whether to extend free testing and entry bans related to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Currently, both would expire at about the end of the month.

The DRC’s most recent Ebola outbreak has killed over 2,000 people, at a rate that experts have called unprecedented. If cases continue to climb, 2026 numbers may surpass the record set by the 2018 outbreak, becoming the deadliest in the country's history, according to foreign media analysts.

In Taiwan, CDC spokesperson Lin Min-Cheng (林明誠) noted that stringent border controls were in place, including raising the travel advisory on the DRC and its neighbor Uganda to the highest level back in May. At the same time, border security measures were strengthened, such as port monitoring. All travelers arriving from the affected countries were required to perform self-health monitoring for 21 days.

In early June, the CDC implemented a 90-day entry ban on residents from the DRC and Uganda, with narrow exceptions. It also offered free testing at four international airports for those with travel history including the affected countries. As of Friday, the tests were carried out 10 times, with 9 negative and 1 pending result.

Lin said the CDC will review these and other control measures at a meeting with several other ministries on August 21. The organization plans to refer to WHO practices, as well as compare measures from other countries. The meeting could result in an extension of the separate free testing and entry ban policies, or even loosening restrictions for Uganda. 

Lin said, “On the entry ban, I estimate we’ll continue restrictions for the DRC. However, we need to watch Uganda, because they have reported more than 42 days since its last case – meaning there have been no cases within its borders for twice the incubation period. Now at 55 days, we’ll discuss whether to ease restrictions.”

Lin again urged the public to avoid travel through Ebola-affected areas. Those who do should cooperate with all relevant quarantine and self-health management procedures. If symptoms including headache, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, or bleeding occur, travelers must report to relevant personnel or call the epidemic prevention hotline 1922 for help from health authorities.