Canada has imposed temporary entry restrictions barring foreign nationals who have recently been to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) from entering the country, citing the risk of importing the Ebola disease, despite the World Health Organisation (WHO) advising against travel restrictions as a public health measure.
The Public Health Agency of Canada said the new temporary measure bars foreign nationals who have set foot in Congo in the past 21 days from entry into Canada. Commercial and private air carriers are also prohibited from boarding those foreign nationals on flights into the country.
The border measures, which also cover Uganda and South Sudan, took effect on 30 May 2026 and are scheduled to remain in place until 29 August 2026.
Travellers who have been in the affected countries within the preceding 21 days and who do not have Ebola symptoms upon arrival in Canada must quarantine for 21 days and monitor their health daily.
Canada is also temporarily suspending the immigration documents of foreign nationals who listed one of the affected countries as their last country of residence in their immigration application, meaning they cannot travel to Canada even with a previously approved visa, permit or electronic travel authorisation.
Canada’s Minister of Immigration Lena Matledge Diab said during a briefing in Ottawa that the government was also pausing final decisions on visa applications, electronic travel authorisations, and work and study permits for affected nationals.
The travel ban does not apply to Canadian citizens or permanent residents, who must quarantine on arrival for 21 days if they have recently been to Congo.
The government said the overall health risk to Canadians remained low, with no domestic cases of Ebola reported from people returning from countries suffering outbreaks.
The World Health Organisation has consistently advised against imposing travel or trade restrictions during Ebola outbreaks, arguing that such measures impede humanitarian response efforts, push travel underground, and make disease surveillance more difficult without significantly reducing cross-border transmission risk.
The current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is the deadliest the country has recorded in recent years, with cases reported across multiple provinces including North Kivu and South Kivu in the country’s conflict-affected east.
(The Whistler)