Atlanta, GA
Atlanta World Cup Ebola restrictions: Congo soccer team to isolate in Belgium
Atlanta World Cup match faces Ebola safety protocols
The Democratic Republic of Congo soccer team is isolating in a training bubble ahead of its tournament match in Atlanta as international authorities implement strict 21-day travel bans and airport screenings to contain an Ebola outbreak, according to officials.
ATLANTA – The Democratic Republic of Congo national soccer team is coordinating with FIFA and U.S. officials to travel safely to its upcoming World Cup matches amid strict federal travel restrictions prompted by an Ebola outbreak.
World Cup health protocols
What we know:
The Democratic Republic of Congo soccer team has canceled its public send-off event due to an ongoing Ebola outbreak in the country. The virus, which was first discovered in the northern region of the nation in 1976, has sickened more than 700 people and caused over 170 deaths during the current surge.
To bypass strict entry rules, the squad is currently training in Belgium and staying isolated inside a strict health bubble. Because team members are already in Europe and will not return to their home country before the tournament, health experts believe they can safely travel to the U.S.
FIFA announced it is actively monitoring the situation and communicating with the Congo DR Football Association to ensure all security and medical guidelines are strictly followed.
Outbreak travel restrictions
What we don’t know:
Neither federal officials nor the DRC Embassy have clarified exactly how many fans from the region were planning to travel to the U.S. or how many will be blocked by the strict border controls.
American screening procedures
Local perspective:
The team will initially arrive in Houston to train ahead of its first game on June 17, followed by a highly anticipated match in Atlanta on Saturday, June 27 versus Uzbekistan. Any non-citizen who has been inside the democratic republic of Congo within the last 21 days is expected to be denied entry into the U.S.
For Americans returning home from visiting the affected area, federal guidelines require them to fly specifically through Dulles International Airport in Washington to undergo rigorous medical screenings which include temperature checks and a detailed questionnaire.
Expert medical insights
What they’re saying:
Medical experts emphasize that the strict 21-day timeline is a proven window for tracking the virus. “Most of the time when someone is exposed, you rarely ever see the infection express itself beyond 21 days,” said Dr. Barney Graham at the Morehouse School of Medicine, who conducted some of the very first Ebola vaccine trials roughly 23 years ago. Graham noted that the virus requires close contact and does not transmit easily like COVID-19, adding, “Overall, I think people should feel very safe at the soccer matches.”
During a Friday news conference, the CDC reemphasized its layered health strategy. Capt. Satish Pillai, MD, of the CDC explained the federal response “is part of an overall, broader, layered public health approach, starting with exit screening, airline illness reports.” Pillai went on to say there will be subsequent decisions “based on the types of activities and where they were in transit, before any discussion, and of course, coordination with the ministries, with FIFA, and across the US government.”
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from a CDC news conference, medical statements from the Morehouse School of Medicine, and an official tournament briefing from FIFA.
Atlanta, GA
‘Atlanta Stadium’ ready with FIFA-standard pitch ahead of World Cup
With eight matches upcoming, Mercedes-Benz Stadium sod will get strict maintenance.
The newly installed playing surface for the FIFA World Cup is watered at the stadium in Atlanta on May 21, 2026. The pitch is Kentucky bluegrass mixed with perennial ryegrass with artificial fibers stitched in. It came from a turf farm in Colorado. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
By Jaide Timm-Garcia – For the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
2 hours ago
Atlanta Stadium — as Mercedes-Benz Stadium will be known during the World Cup — has undergone its final makeover to become compliant with FIFA stadium standards after FIFA-approved grass was installed this week.
The rollout of the natural playing surface began last Friday and took four days to complete, according to Atlanta Stadium pitch venue manager Stuart Wilson.
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Atlanta, GA
Video shows person of interest in deadly Atlanta shooting, police say
Atlanta shooting clip shows person of interest
Atlanta police released surveillance video of a person of interest after 37-year-old Joseph Williams was found fatally shot inside a crashed vehicle Monday night, according to police.
ATLANTA – New video released by the Atlanta Police Department shows a person of interest in the deadly shooting along Joseph E. Boone Boulevard NW earlier this week.
What we know:
It happened at 7:41 p.m. Monday in the 900 block of Joseph E. Boone Boulevard NW. According to the Atlanta Police Department, officers found a man in a car that had been involved in a single-vehicle accident about 0.5 miles east of the location.
The man, later identified as 37-year-old Joseph Williams, had been shot. He was rushed to an area hospital in critical condition, where he died.
What we don’t know:
The identity of the person of interest shown in the released video remains unknown.
Investigators have not yet determined the motive behind the shooting.
Additionally, police have not disclosed whether any suspects have been identified or if a weapon has been recovered.
What you can do:
Anyone with information about whom the person of interest in the video may be or who may have information about the shooting should call the Atlanta Police Department’s Homicide Unit directly at 404-546-4235 or submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Atlanta Police Department, who explained how we got it by releasing surveillance video and investigative details, as well as Crime Stoppers.
Atlanta, GA
Keisha Lance Bottoms says Georgia voters care more about costs than
Former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms captured the Georgia Democratic gubernatorial primary with 56% of the vote on Tuesday, surpassing the majority threshold needed to avoid a runoff and positioning herself as the Democratic nominee heading into the November general election.
“We have a very powerful campaign that’s ready to take on whoever comes out of this Republican primary in November,” Bottoms said in an interview with CBS News “The Takeout” following her victory.
Bottoms said the margin was no accident. Her campaign ran as if it were trailing throughout the race, and she said she believed internally they would clear 50%.
“We always said that we were going to run like we were 30 points down and not 30 points ahead,” she said.
On the Republican side, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and businessman Rick Jackson are headed to a June 16 runoff after neither cleared the majority threshold in Tuesday’s primary. Bottoms did not draw much of a distinction between the two.
“Just in terms of their running toward Trump’s MAGA agenda, they’re equally awful in that regard,” she said. “That’s not what the people of this state want to hear. They want to hear how we are going to address these everyday issues that are impacting their lives: cost of living, access or lack thereof to healthcare, education, access to jobs.”
If elected in November, Bottoms would make history as the first African American woman ever elected governor of Georgia and, she believes, the first in the entire country. She said the historical significance of that milestone is not what is driving her campaign.
“I don’t go around thinking about the label of being a Black woman,” she said. “What I’m thinking about right now is just how I’m going to deliver for the people across the state. It’s just about how will you make my life better and why should I vote for you.”
Bottoms also noted that the governor’s race is an open seat; Gov. Brian Kemp is not on the ballot, which she said gives Democrats an advantage heading into November.
“There are some inherent challenges when you go against an incumbent,” she said. “The fact that it’s an open seat gives us an even better opportunity to pick up the seat.”
On policy, Bottoms outlined several priorities she said she would pursue on day one as governor. She said she would extend the current gas tax suspension to provide relief at the pump, and pledged to expand Medicaid, a move she said would reverse the closure of nine rural hospitals and stop Georgia from leaving federal dollars on the table.
“Half our counties don’t even have OB-GYNs and pediatricians,” she said. “People are having to travel sometimes upwards of an hour or more to receive specialized care.”
Bottoms also called for increasing the state’s average starting teacher pay from $43,000 to $60,000 a year and eliminating state income taxes for teachers. On housing, she pledged to work with builders who specialize in affordable and workforce housing through low-interest loans and grants for homeowners.
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