The governments of Canada and The Bahamas have announced temporary travel restrictions on residents from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and South Sudan following concerns over the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the region.
Canada said the restrictions would take effect from Wednesday and remain in place for 90 days as authorities seek to prevent the Ebola virus from entering and spreading within the country.
The travel restriction on the three countries follows a similar decision by the United States. However, unlike Canada, the U.S. restriction will last for 30 days.
What they are saying
The Canadian government, in a statement released on Tuesday, said the temporary border measures were part of broader public health efforts to contain the risk posed by the outbreak.
Canada stated that its citizens, permanent residents and other eligible foreign nationals who had recently been in affected areas but do not show symptoms would be required to quarantine for 21 days beginning May 30.
The Bahamas also announced similar entry restrictions, which took immediate effect and will remain in force for an initial period of 30 days, subject to review by the country’s health ministry.
The Caribbean nation further introduced enhanced health screenings and possible quarantine measures for foreign nationals who had recently visited the affected countries before arriving in the Bahamas.
Get up to speed
Earlier this month, the World Health Organization (WHO) raised its assessment of the outbreak risk in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to “very high” and declared the outbreaks in the DRC and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern.
- The agency, however, explained that while the outbreak poses a serious international public health threat requiring urgent cross-border coordination, it still does not meet the legal threshold for a pandemic classification.
- According to WHO, there are several troubling indicators suggesting that the outbreak may already be far larger than currently reported, raising fears of wider regional spread if containment measures fail.
- The health body particularly pointed to the high positivity rate among initial laboratory samples, rising reports of unexplained deaths and the confirmation of infections in major urban centres.
- The WHO warned that there is currently no approved vaccine or targeted treatment for the Bundibugyo Ebola strain, which is now spreading across parts of Central Africa.
The outbreak was initially confirmed in Ituri Province in DR Congo before infections reportedly spread into Kampala, Uganda’s capital city, after infected individuals crossed borders from Congo.
What you should know
In Nigeria, health authorities have also moved to reassure the public amid growing regional concerns.
Nairametrics earlier reported that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said Nigeria has not recorded any confirmed case of Ebola Virus Disease despite heightened monitoring linked to the outbreak in Central Africa.
In a statement signed by NCDC Director-General Jide Idris on May 17, the agency said surveillance systems across entry points and health facilities remain active as authorities continue to coordinate preventive measures aimed at reducing cross-border transmission risks.
