The US is building a quarantine center in Kenya for Americans due to the Ebola outbreak to avoid returning them home.

The Donald Trump administration is building a quarantine and treatment center in Kenya for US citizens affected by the Ebola outbreak, instead of returning them to their homeland, writes The GuardianSome experts are criticizing the White House's approach and warning that banning Americans from returning to the United States could worsen the treatment situation.

On May 27, the White House confirmed that the United States is establishing a facility in Kenya where Americans can undergo quarantine after exposure to Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

"This facility will ensure access to quality medical care for Americans who need to quickly leave Congo and undergo quarantine without the risk of lengthy transportation to the United States," a White House official said.

On the subject: A new outbreak of the deadly Ebola fever has emerged in Africa, with several US citizens possibly infected.

He said the center will treat Americans infected with Ebola, "in particular, providing assistance in severe cases, and each situation, if necessary, will be assessed individually for possible further transport for more specialized treatment in order to achieve the best outcome."

However, the representative did not specify whether this meant transporting them to the United States or to Europe, where Americans had previously been placed for quarantine and treatment.

The United States has imposed a re-entry ban on green card holders who recently visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan. The restrictions also apply to other people who recently visited these three countries—they are also barred from entering the United States.

“I am shocked that the administration is considering preventing Americans from coming home to receive the world-class medical care provided by our specialized, taxpayer-funded biocontainment centers,” said epidemiologist Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Center for Pandemics at Brown University’s School of Public Health.

"This approach raises serious ethical questions," she added. "Without clear mechanisms for safe quarantine for people exposed to the virus and rapid isolation of those infected, there's a risk that such facilities themselves will facilitate the spread of infection. If people understand they won't be able to return home for safe and effective treatment, this could discourage them from reporting exposure. As a result, cases may be deliberately concealed, and the spread of infection may accelerate."

Previously, Americans involved in fighting such outbreaks—whether directly caring for patients or organizing contact tracing and safe burials—knew that if they became infected, they could return to the United States and receive the best medical care in the world.

Now, without such a guarantee and with the prospect of being away from home and family for an indefinite period, American specialists will be much less likely to agree to participate in such missions.

“What this effectively means is that any American health care worker who goes to help contain the outbreak is being told: If you get sick, you can’t go home,” concluded Jeremy Konyndyk, president of Refugees International, former executive director of USAID’s COVID-19 task force, and co-leader of USAID’s response to the 2014-2015 Ebola outbreak.

"This reduces people's willingness to travel. We already faced this situation in 2014 (cases of infection returning to the US), and we had to work hard to avoid imposing travel bans because we understood that this would ultimately hinder our efforts to stop the outbreak," he added.

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However, the risks of transportation remain extremely low if the person is asymptomatic. The United States has extensive experience evacuating people who may have been exposed to or have already tested positive for Ebola and other contagious diseases.

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