Kinshasa [Democratic Republic of the Congo], June 3: Democratic Republic of Congo has reopened the airport in the capital city of the province hit hardest by the ongoing Ebola outbreak, a government statement said, reversing a move that some residents said had cut them off from critical supplies.
According to Reuters, the government in Kinshasa announced last month that it was suspending passenger flights to Bunia, the main airport in Ituri, where the first Ebola cases were confirmed. Humanitarian and medical flights continued subject to approvals.
In a statement published late on Monday, Congo's transport ministry said conditions were now in place "to allow a gradual and safe resumption of air transport activities" and that the airport would reopen immediately.
The ministry said all passengers would have their body temperatures screened before boarding and on arrival, that passengers were required to wash their hands before boarding and that any passenger with a fever would not be allowed to board.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention announced the outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, Congo's 17th Ebola outbreak, on 15th May, and the World Health Organisation swiftly declared it a public health emergency international concern.
Source: Emirates News Agency
