Canada bars entry to foreign travellers who recently visited Congo over Ebola outbreak

Canada has announced temporary border restrictions for travellers linked to the Democratic Republic of Congo, saying it will deny entry to foreign nationals who have been in the country within the previous 21 days as part of efforts to prevent the spread of Ebola.

The new measures, announced by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) on Sunday, will take effect at 11:59 p.m. EDT on Monday, July 20.

According to the agency, the restrictions are intended to reduce the risk of Ebola entering Canada as Congolese authorities continue to battle one of the country's largest outbreaks of the deadly disease.

WHO advises against travel restrictions

Canada's decision differs from guidance issued by the World Health Organisation, which has consistently advised countries not to impose travel or trade restrictions on Congo during the outbreak.

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The UN health agency has warned that such measures can fuel stigma, discourage transparency and complicate efforts to contain epidemics.

"People from affected regions and African communities have faced unfair suspicion," the WHO said in a recent statement, adding that the spread of Ebola is not determined by nationality or ethnicity.

The organisation continues to assess the risk of the outbreak spreading internationally as low.

Outbreak has claimed hundreds of lives

According to Congolese health authorities, the country had reported more than 2,100 Ebola cases and 828 deaths as of July 15.

Ebola spreads primarily through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person and can cause severe illness with a high fatality rate if not contained quickly.

Canada's move follows similar action by the United States, which last week introduced restrictions requiring travellers who had recently been in Congo to enter the country only through designated airports. US officials have also quarantined several American aid workers returning from the outbreak zone in neighbouring Kenya.

Canadian health authorities said the temporary entry restrictions are part of broader efforts to protect public health while monitoring developments in the Ebola outbreak.

With inputs from agencies