Israel has imposed sweeping travel restrictions on foreign nationals from five African countries following concerns over the spread of Ebola, drawing a sharp protest from Kenya, which says it has not recorded a single case of the disease.
In a directive issued by Israel's Population and Immigration Authority on June 10, airlines were instructed to deny boarding to foreign citizens and residents of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Rwanda, Kenya, and Uganda on flights bound for Israel.
The order also extends to foreign nationals of any nationality who have visited or stayed in any of the five countries within 21 days before travel, regardless of their country of residence or citizenship.
"Airlines must question every foreign passenger prior to boarding, which includes verifying whether they have stayed in any of the restricted countries listed above during the past 21 days. If the answer is affirmative, they must not be permitted to board the flight to Israel." the advisory stated.
The restrictions do not apply to Israeli citizens or permanent residents.
