Starting tonight at 11:59 PM EDT, George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston, Texas, will begin receiving travelers who have been present in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda, or South Sudan within the last 21 days, directing them toward enhanced federal health screening. The CDC expansion, announced Saturday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, marks a significant escalation in the U.S. government's response to an Ebola Bundibugyo virus outbreak that is rapidly expanding in Central Africa.
Houston joins Washington Dulles (IAD) and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) as the only U.S. airports authorized to receive this high-risk traveler pool. The decision to include Houston carries added weight: the DRC national soccer team is scheduled to use the city as its base of operations during the FIFA World Cup 2026, which opens in June across 11 American cities, with DRC's first match scheduled for Houston on June 17.
