Canada has banned residents of three African countries from entering the nation due to an Ebola outbreak for three months or 90 days. The immigration authorities are temporarily suspending taking any decisions on applications from those three African nations.
For those travelling to the country from will be required to self-isolate for 21 days. The travel ban has been imposed on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and South Sudan.
The Canadian government said that the temporary border measure aimed to reduce the risk of Ebola entering and spreading within Canada.
Luc Brisebois, director-general for the Centre for Border and Travel Health at the Public Health Agency of Canada, said the measures are being implemented out of an “abundance of caution” and will stay in place until August 29.
The outbreak is centred around northeastern Congo and is of a rare type of Ebola that is outpacing response efforts, the World Health Organisation says, with more than 900 suspected cases and more than 220 deaths. Aid efforts have intensified, and WHO says the outbreak could last for months.
As the cases of Eloba increased, the World Health Organization on Friday raised to turning into a national outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The health organisation has also declared an outbreak in the country and in Uganda, it has been declared an emergency of international concern.
Last week, Washington banned non-citizens who had traveled to the DRC, Uganda or South Sudan in recent weeks from entering the United States.
Canadian citizens, permanent residents and other foreign nationals who have been in affected areas in recent weeks and do not have symptoms will have to quarantine for 21 days from May 30, according to a statement from Canada’s public health agency.
A source said earlier that The Bahamas was also expected to announce an entry ban on people who have traveled to the same three African countries in the past 21 days.
However, the Caribbean country’s government on Tuesday only announced enhanced health screenings and possible quarantines for foreigners who were present in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda or South Sudan within 30 days of arriving in the Caribbean country.
No cases of Ebola have been reported in the United States, Canada or The Bahamas.
(With agency inputs)
