Canada and the Bahamas announced on Tuesday that they would impose a temporary ban on residents from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda, and South Sudan from entering the countries due to the recent Ebola virus outbreak.
The Canadian government said that residents from the three African nations would be banned from entering Canada for 90 days, effective Wednesday. It explained that the measure was to reduce the risk of Ebola entering and spreading within Canada.
“The health and safety of people in Canada is our top priority. These temporary border measures will help reduce the risk of Ebola disease entering the country while ensuring that travelers are managed based on their level of risk. We will continue to take action guided by science and evidence to protect Canadians,” said Canadian Health Minister Marjorie Michel.
The government of the Bahamas also made a statement regarding the travel ban, adding that its entry restrictions would take immediate effect and would remain in place for 30 days, which is subjected to review by the nation’s Health Ministry.
The World Health Organisation Friday raised the risk of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola turning into a national outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo to “very high” and declared the outbreak in the DRC and Uganda an “emergency of international concern”.
Washington had already banned non-citizens who had traveled to any of the three nations in recent weeks from entering the United States last week.
Canada’s public health agency released a statement, requiring the country’s citizens, permanent residents, and other foreign nationals, who have been in affected areas in recent weeks and do not have symptoms,to quarantine for 21 days from May 30.
The Bahamas announced enhanced health screenings and potential quarantines for foreigners who were present in the DRC, Uganda, or South Sudan within 30 days of arriving in the archipelago.
No cases of Ebola have been reported in the United States, Canada, or the Bahamas so far.
