Trump administration to quarantine Americans exposed to Ebola in Kenya

The Trump administration intends to send U.S. citizens exposed to the Ebola virus to Kenya for observation instead of bringing them home, according to three people with knowledge of the plans. This represents a significant change from how previous administrations handled outbreaks. In past cases, health care workers and other Americans exposed to the virus were flown home and treated in state-of-the-art medical units.

Earlier this month, the administration did fly an American doctor who showed Ebola symptoms to a hospital in Germany. The administration also transported six other Americans to Germany and the Czech Republic for monitoring. A few dozen Public Health Service officers are being trained to deploy to Kenya to provide medical care to Americans considered at high risk of developing Ebola.

The current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has grown rapidly. Since it was announced 11 days ago, the outbreak has reached more than 1,000 cases and more than 200 deaths, making it the third largest outbreak on record. Aid cuts by the Trump administration shut down disease surveillance networks and medical supply chains that might have detected and contained the epidemic sooner, according to the reporting.

Last week, the Trump administration invoked Title 42, a public health law, to bar immigrants and legal permanent residents who had been in Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan in the previous 21 days from entering the United States. The new plan would also keep exposed U.S. citizens outside the country, according to two people with knowledge of the plans who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

Under the current plan, Americans would initially be monitored in Kenya. Anyone who began to show Ebola symptoms would then be moved to Europe for treatment, according to the sources.