U.S. Calls on Europe to Impose Ebola Travel Restrictions Ahead of World Cup

The Trump administration has escalated diplomatic pressure on European nations to abandon the World Health Organization's Ebola guidance and adopt U.S.-style travel restrictions on people arriving from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan, where a Bundibugyo-strain Ebola outbreak has infected more than 635 people and killed at least 127 as of June 11. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke directly with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on June 9, and a State Department official warned that without European action, transatlantic travel to the U.S. could face additional restrictions — a threat with direct implications for the FIFA World Cup, which opened June 11 and is expected to draw 5 to 7 million international visitors to the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. The U.S. has already barred non-citizens who have been in the affected countries within the previous 21 days from entering the country, and required the DRC national soccer team to complete a 21-day isolation period in Belgium before traveling to Houston. The EU and WHO have rejected the U.S. approach, arguing that screening, testing, and contact tracing are more effective than border closures, and that the current risk to the general public in Europe and the World Cup host countries remains very low, with no confirmed cases reported in any of those nations. The Trump administration, which withdrew from the WHO on the first day of Trump's second term, has also accused the organization of failing to promptly report the outbreak and of misleading countries by discouraging travel bans — claims WHO officials have disputed, noting that the Bundibugyo strain was not laboratory-confirmed until May 15 and that an emergency declaration followed quickly. The U.S. says it has pledged more than $200 million to the Ebola response and delivered 150 tonnes of medical supplies, making it the largest single financial contributor, while the EU has committed approximately $36 million. The dispute has also generated protests in Kenya, where demonstrators have opposed the construction of a U.S.-funded quarantine facility at a Kenyan air base, and drawn criticism from Belgian Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke, who argued that U.S. cuts to development aid and the dismantling of USAID contributed to conditions enabling the outbreak.