Royal Air Maroc has aligned with US health authorities — passengers from three Ebola-affected countries may not board US-bound flights. Royal Air Maroc has introduced preventive restrictions on its flights to the United States, in application of a directive issued by American health authorities on 18 May. Passengers who have stayed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in the 21 days preceding their US arrival are not authorised to travel on RAM’s US routes. The measure is based on travel history, not nationality.
The restriction applies the decision of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Customs and Border Protection agency (CBP) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which announced a 30-day temporary suspension of US entry for any traveller having been in those three countries during the preceding 21 days. American citizens, US nationals, lawful permanent residents, as well as military personnel and government staff posted abroad and their spouses and children, are exempt from the restriction.
Limited exceptions may apply in accordance with US authority guidelines: authorised passengers may be required to enter via designated airports and undergo enhanced health screening on arrival. Three airports have been designated for this purpose, with staggered entry-into-force dates between 21 and 26 May 2026.
Bundibugyo — a strain with no vaccine
The restrictions follow the resurgence of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, detected in mid-May in eastern DRC and subsequently confirmed in neighbouring Uganda. According to Africa CDC, 129 cases had been confirmed in the DRC and 8 in Uganda at the time of the announcement. South Sudan was included on the list due to its geographical and epidemiological proximity to the two active outbreak zones. No vaccine currently exists against the Bundibugyo strain, which is transmitted by direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected individuals.