The Democratic Republic of Congo is slated to compete in Group K of the World Cup, alongside Portugal, Colombia, and Uzbekistan.
Amid concerns over the recent Ebola outbreak, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s World Cup squad has reportedly been instructed to undergo a 21-day isolation period before being permitted entry into the United States.
DR Congo is currently training in Belgium following the cancellation of their scheduled training camp in Kinshasa.
Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force for the World Cup, emphasized the necessity for the squad to maintain a strict “bubble” environment while 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., external
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has implemented a ban on entry for non-U.S. citizens who have been present in the DR Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan within the preceding 21 days.
As all of DR Congo’s players are based outside the country, they will not be affected by these restrictions, given the cancellation of the Kinshasa training camp.
“If there are other people that are going to be coming in, they need to have a separate bubble from that team,” Giuliani stated.
“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 Organization (WHO) escalated the public health risk posed by the Ebola outbreak in the DR Congo from “high” to “very high.”
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted that while the regional risk in Africa remains “high,” the global risk is still considered “low.”
DR Congo is scheduled to play friendly matches against Denmark on June 3 in Belgium and against Chile on June 9 in Spain.
The World Cup is set to take place from June 11 to July 19, with DR Congo facing Portugal in their opening match on June 17.
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