Canada has announced a temporary ban on the entry of foreign nationals who have travelled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo within the past 21 days as part of new measures aimed at preventing the spread of Ebola.
The restrictions, which take effect at 11.59pm EDT on Monday, were introduced by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), despite the World Health Organization (WHO) advising against travel or trade bans related to the outbreak. Health authorities around the world continue to closely monitor Ebola outbreaks, with governments balancing public health protection against the need to maintain humanitarian support and international travel.
In a statement, PHAC said limiting the entry of travellers who have recently been in Congo could help reduce potential public health risks for Canadians.
The latest move differs from WHO guidance, which has repeatedly warned that travel restrictions may create stigma, discourage transparency and make disease outbreaks more difficult to contain.
“People from affected regions and African communities have faced unfair suspicion,” WHO said in a statement last month, adding that the spread of Ebola is not determined by nationality or ethnicity.
According to WHO, the risk of the current Ebola outbreak spreading internationally remains low.
As of 15 July, Congolese health authorities had reported more than 2,100 Ebola infections, including 828 deaths.
Canada had previously suspended immigration documents for residents of Congo, Uganda and South Sudan. However, no Ebola cases have been confirmed in South Sudan, while Uganda has not reported any new infections since last month.
PHAC spokesperson Mark Johnson acknowledged that the overall risk to Canadians remains low but said those who fail to comply with the new border measures could face fines of up to CAD150,000 for individuals and CAD1.5 million for corporations.
Johnson added that the latest restrictions align parts of Canada’s temporary border measures with those already introduced by the United States and Mexico.
Last week, the United States announced that travellers who had been in Congo within the previous 21 days would not be allowed to enter the country through commercial flights. Meanwhile, seven American aid workers who had been helping contain the Ebola outbreak are currently undergoing quarantine at a facility in Kenya.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has also advised against imposing travel bans, warning that such measures could disrupt humanitarian assistance while offering only limited effectiveness in controlling the spread of the disease.
