US to Waive Ebola Entry Ban for DR Congo's World Cup Team

(Central News Agency, Washington, 19th, Comprehensive Foreign Report) US officials stated today that the United States will ensure the Democratic Republic of Congo's team can travel to the US for the FIFA World Cup, granting an exemption to an entry ban imposed due to the Ebola outbreak. A senior State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: "We expect the DRC team to be able to participate in the World Cup." AFP reports that due to a deadly Ebola outbreak, the US has banned non-US citizens who have traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan in the past 21 days. The US official stated that the DRC team is the only one of the three countries to have qualified for football's premier tournament and has been training in Europe, which might have exempted them from the ban regardless. However, if players have indeed been in the DRC in the past 21 days, they will undergo rigorous screening similar to what returning US citizens face, rather than being outright denied entry. The official said, "We are working to put them into the same screening protocols that we have for returning U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents." The official stated that this exemption will not apply to regular fans from the DRC wishing to come and support their team. This marks the second time the Democratic Republic of Congo has qualified for the World Cup, the first being in 1974. (Compiled by: Lee Pei-shan)