The federal government is putting new border measures in place to prevent Ebola cases from spreading to Canada, as the number of cases continues to rise in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and South Sudan.
Starting this week, people travelling from the affected regions will have to self-isolate for 21 days. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is also pausing final decisions on several immigration applications.
In a technical briefing to reporters ahead of a press conference by the health and immigration ministers, government officials said new measures are being implemented as of Saturday under the Quarantine Act.
The officials said the health risk to Canada is “currently considered low,” and that no travel-related cases have been reported.
Starting May 30, any Canadian citizens, permanent residents, individuals registered under the Indian Act, and foreign nationals who have been in the affected countries in the last three weeks will still be allowed to enter Canada, but they must undergo a health assessment upon arrival and comply with public health measures.
Travellers with symptoms will be transferred to hospital for their medical assessment, and travellers without symptoms must present a plan to self-isolate for three weeks.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Ebola is rare in humans and transmitted through direct contact, though it is severe and often fatal. The disease is currently ravaging the DRC, where officials declared an outbreak earlier this month.
The WHO is warning the type of Ebola currently being seen in the DRC and Uganda has no vaccine or specific treatment, but says it’s working on them.
The IRCC is also implementing a slate to measures starting tomorrow to reduce the risk of the disease spreading to Canada, including temporarily suspending certain immigration documents by residents of the DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan.
Officials in the tech briefing also said they’re pausing final decisions on certain applications — including permanent residence visas, temporary resident visas, electronic travel authorizations, study permits, and work permits — from residents of those three countries for the next three months.
This is a breaking news story. More to come.
