Mauritius has temporarily banned the entry to its territory of foreigners traveling from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda, or South Sudan, or who have been in these countries in the last 21 days, as a precaution against the Ebola outbreak declared in eastern DRC on May 15.

In a statement following a Cabinet meeting, reported late Friday by local media, the Mauritian government announced the “temporary prohibition of entry to Mauritius for foreign nationals traveling from the DRC, the Republic of Uganda, or the Republic of South Sudan, transiting through those countries or who have been present in them in the last 21 days.”

Meanwhile, Mauritian citizens or foreigners with legal residence in this island nation will be “allowed entry” even if they meet these same conditions, but they will have to undergo “a mandatory 21-day quarantine upon arrival.”

Thus, the Government decreed “mandatory health control and risk assessment at points of entry for travelers from affected countries.”

As part of the precautionary measures, the country also announced, together with the American Corporate Council on Africa (CCA), the postponement of the 2026 U.S.-Africa Business Summit, which was scheduled between July 26 and 29 with more than 2,500 participants, including African heads of state and ministers, high-ranking U.S. officials, and businesspeople from both sides.

Although the World Health Organization (WHO) advises against such travel restrictions, Mauritius is not the first country to impose them: Uganda itself, the United States, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Canada, the Bahamas, and Jordan have also done so.

The outbreak was declared on May 15 in Ituri, a province bordering South Sudan and Uganda, but later spread to the equally eastern Congolese provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu.

The epidemic has also spread to Uganda, where 19 infections have been detected so far, including two deaths, both considered imported cases from the DRC.

The outbreak corresponds to the Bundibugyo strain, whose case fatality rate ranges between 30% and 50% and for which there is no authorized vaccine or specific treatment, according to WHO, which considers the risk of an outbreak in sub-Saharan Africa “high” and “low” globally.

The WHO estimates that the virus began circulating in Ituri about two months before the outbreak was declared, which it described on May 17 as a “public health emergency of international concern.”

The Ebola virus is transmitted by direct contact with bodily fluids of infected people or animals and causes severe hemorrhagic fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and internal bleeding.

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