Starting midnight Wednesday, Ottawa will suspend immigration documents and admissions of travellers who are residents of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and South Sudan in response to the Ebola disease outbreak in Central Africa.
This will mean that even those with a previously approved temporary resident visa, electronic travel authorization or permanent resident visa will not be allowed to travel to Canada while their document is suspended for 90 days. Immigration officials will also pause making decisions on applications from these countries.
Beginning on Sunday, the federal government will require anyone, including Canadian citizens and permanent residents, who has been in these areas in the previous 21 days and does not have symptoms to quarantine for 21 days, said the Public Health Agency of Canada. The measure is effective until at least Aug. 29.
Those who do not have a place where they can quarantine safely will be provided with an appropriate location, while travellers who have symptoms will be isolated at a hospital for further assessment. These measures are being implemented under the Quarantine Act.
“Canadians can be assured that their health and safety is our top priority,” said Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab in a news release on Tuesday.
“The measures we plan to introduce are necessary to protect Canadians and reinforce the integrity of our border against this threat to public health. We will continue to take proactive and decisive action in response to the emerging Ebola outbreak.”
Those who are already in Canada are not affected by these measures, and may continue to stay here for their authorized period of stay. As per standard procedure, these travellers were already screened upon arrival by the Canada Border Services Agency.
Canadian citizens and permanent residents could still return to Canada and would undergo screening at ports of entry upon arrival, officials said, adding that these are precautionary measures given the severity of Ebola disease and the evolving international situation, with soccer’s World Cup coming to North America in June.
Travellers are reminded to check the latest information at travel.gc.ca before travelling as border measures may change with little notice.
The World Health Organization’s director-general says an outbreak of a rare type of Ebola is outpacing response efforts, with more than 900 suspected cases and more than 220 deaths. There has never been a case of Ebola disease imported into Canada and there are currently no cases of Ebola disease in North America, Canadian officials said.
According to the WHO, Ebola disease is a severe viral illness with average fatality rate around 50 per cent. Symptoms include fever, fatigue, malaise, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. These are followed by vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain rash and symptoms of impaired kidney and liver functions.
With files from The Canadian Press
