Canada announces travel ban on foreigners who visited DR Congo over Ebola fears

• Canada has temporarily barred foreign nationals who have visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) within the past 21 days over concerns about the country's ongoing Ebola outbreak.

• The new restrictions, which take effect on 20 July, carry hefty penalties, with individuals facing fines of up to CAD$150,000 and corporations up to CAD$1.5 million for violating the rules.

• The World Health Organisation opposes the travel ban, arguing that such restrictions fuel stigma, disrupt humanitarian efforts and provide limited benefit in preventing the international spread of Ebola.

The new border measures, announced by the Public Health Agency of Canada on Sunday, will come into effect at 11:59 p.m. EDT on Monday, 20 July. The move aligns Canada with similar restrictions already implemented by the United States and Mexico.

Although the agency stressed that the overall risk to Canadians remains low, it said the precautionary measures are intended to strengthen border health controls during the outbreak.

Agency spokesperson Mark Johnson said the policy was introduced to ensure Canada's response matches that of neighbouring countries.

The decision, however, contradicts guidance from the World Health Organisation (WHO), which has consistently advised governments against imposing travel or trade restrictions on the Democratic Republic of the Congo during the Ebola outbreak.

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According to the WHO, such measures can stigmatise affected communities, hinder humanitarian operations and make it more difficult to contain the disease.

“People from affected regions and African communities have faced unfair suspicion,” the WHO said in a statement issued last month. “The spread of Ebola is not determined by nationality or ethnicity.”

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has echoed the WHO's position, warning that travel restrictions on the DRC could disrupt the delivery of humanitarian assistance while offering only limited protection against the international spread of the virus.

As of 15 July, the DRC had recorded more than 2,100 confirmed Ebola cases, including at least 828 deaths. Ebola is transmitted primarily through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person, and the WHO continues to assess the likelihood of international transmission as low.

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Under Canada's new regulations, anyone who violates the restrictions could face severe financial penalties. Individuals may be fined up to CAD$150,000, while corporations could be liable for fines of up to CAD$1.5 million.

The latest announcement follows Canada's earlier decision to suspend the processing of immigration applications from residents of the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan, despite Uganda having reported no new Ebola infections in the month before the suspension and South Sudan recording no confirmed cases at the time.

The United States introduced similar travel measures last week, restricting entry for individuals who had visited the DRC within the previous 21 days through commercial flights.

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Meanwhile, seven American aid workers who participated in Ebola response efforts in the DRC are currently undergoing quarantine at a facility in Kenya.