Canada Bans Entry from 3 African Nations to Prevent Ebola; Bahamas Strengthens Screening

Canada announced today that it will temporarily ban the entry of residents from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan in response to the Ebola outbreak. According to Reuters, the Canadian government stated that starting the 27th, entry from these three African nations will be prohibited for 90 days. Authorities noted that this temporary border control measure aims to reduce the risk of the Ebola virus entering and spreading within Canada. On the 22nd, the World Health Organization (WHO) raised the risk of the Bundibugyo Ebola virus evolving into a national epidemic in the DRC to "very high" and declared the outbreaks in the DRC and Uganda a "Public Health Emergency of International Concern." Washington announced last week that non-citizens who have recently traveled to these countries will be denied entry to the U.S. According to a statement from the Public Health Agency of Canada, starting May 30, Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and other foreign nationals who have recently traveled to affected areas and are currently "asymptomatic" must undergo a 21-day quarantine upon arrival. A source previously indicated that the Bahamas was also expected to announce an entry ban for those who have traveled to these three countries in the past 21 days. However, the Caribbean nation's government only announced today that it will strengthen health screenings and potentially implement quarantine measures for foreign nationals who have visited these countries within the last 30 days. Currently, no confirmed cases of Ebola have been reported in the U.S., Canada, or the Bahamas.