Canada Extends Ebola-Related Travel and Immigration Bans for 60 Days

Canada has extended travel and immigration restrictions tied to an Ebola outbreak for an additional 60 days, as first reported by CityNews Toronto. The measures, which were originally scheduled to expire on Monday, will now remain in effect until Nov. 27.

Since May, individuals from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), South Sudan, and Uganda have been barred from traveling to Canada. The extension maintains a suspension of immigration documents, including travel authorizations and valid visas, for citizens of these three nations. CityNews Toronto reports that this has left tens of thousands of people in limbo, including individuals who have already been granted residency but are currently outside of Canada.

Additional restrictions apply to foreign nationals from other countries; those who have been in the DRC within the last 21 days are prohibited from boarding flights to Canada or transiting through the country. Those arriving from Uganda and South Sudan are required to undergo a 21-day quarantine. Canadian citizens and permanent residents returning from any of the three affected countries are also subject to a 21-day quarantine.

Health Minister Marjorie Michel and Immigration Minister Lena Diab described the measures as precautionary safety steps aligned with the United States and Mexico, the co-hosts of the FIFA World Cup, for which the restrictions were first announced. CityNews Toronto notes that the U.S. government continues to bar individuals who have been in the DRC in the last 21 days and requires those from Uganda and South Sudan to have been outside those countries for 21 days before entry.

The restrictions come as the DRC struggles to contain the Bundibugyo virus, a rare strain of Ebola with no known vaccine or treatment. Data released by the DRC health ministry shows more than 8,000 cases and over 3,900 deaths since May. The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified this as the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history, with a fatality rate of 48 per cent, and warned that the DRC is running out of health workers to manage the crisis.

However, the WHO has criticized the travel bans, stating they are based on fear rather than science and noting that the risk of transmission during air travel is low because the virus is not airborne. Similarly, the European Union has not restricted travel from the affected nations, while the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control noted that the risk of importing the virus is still very low. Canadian humanitarian workers have also expressed concern that these bans are hampering their work and could damage the international response to the outbreak.