Canada Bans Foreigners Who Visited Congo in Last 21 Days Over Ebola Fears
- Canada announced new temporary border measures targeting foreign nationals who had recently travelled to the Democratic Republic of Congo
- The move goes against WHO guidance, which warns that travel restrictions create stigma and can make outbreaks harder to control
- Individuals who violate the restrictions face fines of up to CAD$150,000, while corporations could be penalised up to CAD$1.5 million
Canada's Public Health Agency announced on Sunday that foreign nationals who had visited the Democratic Republic of Congo within the previous 21 days would be barred from entering the country, citing public health concerns linked to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the central African nation.
The measures took effect on Monday, July 20, at 11:59 p.m. EDT. Agency spokesman Mark Johnson confirmed in an email that the overall risk to Canadians remained low, but said the restrictions were designed to align Canada's border policy with similar measures already adopted by the United States and Mexico.
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Canada's move contradicts WHO advice
According to Reuters, the decision places Canada in direct conflict with the World Health Organisation, which has consistently advised against imposing travel or trade restrictions on Congo.
The WHO argues that such bans fuel stigma, hinder humanitarian access, and ultimately make outbreaks more difficult to contain.
"People from affected regions and African communities have faced unfair suspicion," the WHO said in a statement last month. "The spread of Ebola is not determined by nationality or ethnicity."
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has taken a similar stance, cautioning that travel bans on Congo can disrupt humanitarian aid efforts while offering limited practical benefit.
As of July 15, Congo had recorded more than 2,100 Ebola cases, with at least 828 deaths. The disease spreads primarily through direct contact with bodily fluids from infected individuals. The WHO has assessed the risk of the outbreak spreading internationally as low.
Fines and previous restrictions
Under the new rules, non-compliance could carry serious financial consequences. Individuals who breach the entry restrictions face fines of up to CAD$150,000, while corporations could be penalised as much as CAD$1.5 million.
Canada had previously suspended the processing of immigration documents for residents from Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan, even though neither Uganda nor South Sudan had active confirmed cases at the time. Uganda reported no new cases since the month prior, and South Sudan had recorded none at all.
The United States introduced comparable measures last week, barring American citizens who had been in Congo within the prior 21 days from returning via commercial aviation. Seven American aid workers who had been on the ground in Congo assisting with outbreak response are currently quarantining at a facility in Kenya.
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Ebola patients flee DRC hospital
Legit.ng earlier reported that Ebola patients and health workers abandoned Nyakunde Hospital in the Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, after a mob stormed the facility, throwing stones and breaching its perimeter fence, a medical official at the hospital has told Reuters.
Source: Legit.ng
