OTTAWA, Canada- Canada has announced a temporary 90-day entry ban affecting residents of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda and South Sudan as authorities intensify efforts to prevent the spread of Ebola into the country.
The Canadian government said the restrictions will take effect from Wednesday, May 27, as part of emergency border measures introduced in response to the worsening Ebola outbreak in Central and East Africa.
According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, the temporary measures are aimed at reducing the risk of the virus entering and spreading within Canada following the World Health Organization’s warning that the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola poses a “very high” outbreak risk in the region.
“The Government of Canada intends to suspend immigration documents for residents of countries that have a high or very high risk of outbreak of Ebola disease for the next 90 days,” the agency said in a statement.
The restrictions mean residents from the affected countries will not be allowed to travel to Canada even if they already possess approved temporary resident visas, electronic travel authorizations (eTAs) or permanent resident visas during the suspension period.
Ottawa also announced that immigration authorities would temporarily stop processing applications for visas and travel authorizations from residents of the three countries.
In addition, Canadian citizens, permanent residents and other travelers who have recently been in Ebola-affected regions but show no symptoms will be required to self-isolate for 21 days starting May 30.
The measures follow a similar move by the United States, which last week imposed temporary restrictions on non-citizens and some green card holders who recently travelled from the DRC, Uganda or South Sudan.
The World Health Organization recently declared the outbreaks in the DRC and Uganda an international public health emergency after cases linked to the Bundibugyo Ebola strain spread across several areas in the region.
According to Reuters, the outbreak has already resulted in hundreds of suspected infections and more than 200 deaths, raising fears of wider regional transmission if containment efforts fail.
Canada said no Ebola cases have so far been reported within the country, but authorities insisted precautionary action was necessary to protect public health.
