New travel bans and restrictions are being put in place in an effort to stop the spread of Ebola.
On May 26, both Canada and the Bahamas said they will be temporarily banning residents from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, and Uganda amid the current Ebola outbreak.
Starting on May 27th, residents from either of these three countries will be banned from entering Canada for the next 90 days. The entry restrictions for the Bahamas will take place immediately on May 26, and will remain in effect for the next 30 days. However, the Bahamian government added that this 30-day window is subject to review by the Caribbean country’s health ministry and may be extended if necessary.
For Canadian citizens and permanent residents wishing to return home from visiting these affected countries, if they do not have any symptoms, will have to quarantine for 21 days from May 30.
The Bahamas has also implemented heightened health screenings and potential quarantine requirements for international travelers who visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan within 30 days of their arrival.
These travel bans and precautionary health screenings are being put in place amid international concerns over the spread of Ebola. On Friday, the World Health Organization raised the risk of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola turning into a national outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo to “very high.” It has also declared the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in Uganda to be an emergency of international concern.
Last week, Washington banned non-citizens who had traveled to the DRC, Uganda or South Sudan in recent weeks from entering the United States. Currently, no cases of Ebola have been reported in the US, the Bahamas, or Canada.
