OTTAWA, May 26 (Xinhua) -- The Canadian government on Tuesday announced a series of temporary border measures to reduce the risk of the Ebola virus entering and spreading within Canada.
According to a news release from the Public Health Agency of Canada, in response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and rising risks in Uganda and South Sudan, Canada will suspend immigration documents for residents of these countries for 90 days, starting Wednesday at 23:59 Eastern Time.
Individuals of these three countries holding previously approved temporary resident visas, electronic travel authorizations or permanent resident visas will be barred from traveling to Canada, said the release.
The processing of new applications from residents of these countries will also be temporarily paused, added the release.
According to an additional measure, effective May 30 at 23:59 Eastern Time until Aug. 29, Canada will enforce a mandatory 21-day quarantine for Canadian citizens, permanent residents, persons registered under the Indian Act, and foreign nationals who have visited the affected areas within the previous 21 days and do not have symptoms, while travellers who have symptoms will be isolated at a hospital for further assessment under the Quarantine Act.
While emphasizing that the risk to people in Canada remains low and there are currently no cases of Ebola disease in North America, the government said it is adopting a precautionary approach given the severity of the disease and the evolving international situation, including the upcoming FIFA World Cup.
