Canada bars entry to foreigners who recently visited Congo amid Ebola risks
Canada is implementing temporary border measures to deny entry to foreign nationals who have visited the DRC within the past 21 days to combat Ebola. The policy, effective July 20, conflicts with World Health Organization recommendations regarding international travel restrictions.
The Canadian government said Sunday it would deny entry to any foreigner who has been to the Democratic Republic of the Congo within the past 21 days as part of new, temporary border measures to combat the spread of Ebola. The measures take effect on Monday, July 20, at 11:59 p.m., the Public Health Agency of Canada said in a statement.
The Public Health Agency of Canada stated that the decision to limit the entry of foreign nationals is intended to reduce health risks for the Canadian population. The government's travel health notice risk level for Congo is currently orange (or Level 3 out of 4), which means to avoid non-essential travel. PHAC says the risk from Ebola for Canadians remains low and no travel-related cases in Canada have been reported.
The ban contravenes advice from the World Health Organization, which advises against travel or trade restrictions with Congo, where officials are currently struggling to contain a large outbreak of Ebola. The U.N. Health agency says travel restrictions create stigma and can make epidemics harder to control. “The spread of Ebola is not determined by nationality or ethnicity.” WHO estimates that the risk of Congo’s Ebola outbreak spreading internationally is low.
"People from affected regions and African communities have faced unfair suspicion,"
The federal government clamped down on travel and immigration from Congo, Uganda and South Sudan in late May, suspending immigration documents from citizens of those countries. Canadian citizens, permanent residents and those registered under the Indian Act who have been in those countries within the last 21 days can still travel to Canada, but will receive a health assessment on arrival and must quarantine for 21 days. As part of the move, commercial and private air carriers will also be required to not permit foreign nationals who visited the DRC to board a flight to Canada.
As of July 15, Congo had reported more than 2,100 Ebola cases including 828 deaths. Ebola is mostly spread through direct contact with the bodily fluids of someone infected with the disease. The measures take effect on Monday at 11:59 p.m. ET and will last until Aug. 29, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) said in a statement.
Last week, the U.S. Introduced measures preventing Americans who had been in Congo in the previous 21 days from entering the U.S. Via commercial aviation. Seven American aid workers who had been working in Congo to stop the outbreak are currently quarantining in a facility in Kenya.
