Travelers from the West African country of Mali starting Tuesday will no longer undergo U.S. entry screening and monitoring requirements put in place as a response to the Ebola outbreak.
The Department of Homeland Security will remove Mali from the watch list of Ebola-affected countries that require travelers from those nations to be screened upon entry into the U.S. and monitored for 21 days for possible infection from the Ebola virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Monday.
Travelers flying from Mali also will no longer be required to enter the U.S. through the five airports that officials in October designated to screen those coming from Ebola-affected countries.
Dec. 5 marks the last known time a patient tested positive for Ebola in Mali and 42 days since an Ebola patient had contact with a person not wearing personal protective equipment. Under World Health Organization standards, the country would be declared Ebola-free by Tuesday if no new cases occur.
The relaxation of travel requirements apply to those who arrive in the U.S. after Jan. 6. Those who arrived in the country before that time will still undergo active monitoring for the 21-day period.
Mali has had eight Ebola cases and six deaths as of Dec. 29, according to the WHO. Overall, more than 20,000 cases and more than 7,900 Ebola-related deaths have been reported worldwide since March.
Follow Steven Ross Johnson on Twitter: @MHsjohnson
