The Democratic Republic of Congo World Cup squad have been informed to isolate for 21 days before they can enter the US due to the Ebola outbreak. Following the cancellation of training camp in Kinshasa, the DR Congo players moved training camp to Belgium ahead of the tournament.
According to Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force for the World Cup, the squad should remain a “bubble” in Belgium.
“They need to maintain that bubble or they risk not being able to travel to the United States. We cannot be any clearer,” he told ESPN.
Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US has banned entry from non-Americans who have been in the DR Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in the previous 21 days. However, all DR Congo players are based outside the country and will not be affected by the restrictions.
“If there are other people that are going to be coming in, they need to have a separate bubble from that team,” Giuliani continued.
“If they end up coming, and any of those people end up symptomatic, they are risking the entire team being able to come and compete in this World Cup.”
On Friday, the World Health Organisation (WHO) public health risk from the Ebola outbreak in the DR Congo from “high” to “very high”. WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the risk in the wider region in Africa was “high” but that it remained “low” globally.
DR Congo are due to play friendlies against Denmark on June 3 in Belgium before traveling to Spain to face Chile on June 9. The Leopards play their World Cup opening game against Portugal on June 11 at the Houston Stadium.
