The South African and Canadian governments are taking measures for those travelling to and from the DRC and Uganda as the countries deal with a devastating Ebola outbreak, which has recorded more than 2,100 cases, including 828 deaths.
Travellers walk at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, US. Image credit: Reuters/Kaylee Greenlee/File Photo
SA implements health questionnaire
The Department of Health has announced that people travelling to South Africa from the affected countries must complete a health questionnaire before travelling.
“Due to the current EVD (Ebola Virus Disease) outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, everyone travelling to South Africa from the DRC and Uganda is required to complete a Travel Health Questionnaire (THQ).
“The THQ can be completed up to 24 hours before travel to South Africa to facilitate smooth processing upon arrival,” the department said on social media.
The questionnaire can be found here.
Update: Countries tighten travel measures following Ebola outbreak
Canada imposes temporary ban
Reuters reports that the Canadian government will deny entry to any foreigner who has been to Congo within the past 21 days as part of temporary border measures against Ebola.
The ban contravenes advice from the World Health Organisation (WHO), which advises against travel or trade restrictions with Congo, where officials are currently struggling to contain the outbreak.
The UN health agency says travel restrictions create stigma and can make epidemics harder to control.
“People from affected regions and African communities have faced unfair suspicion,” WHO said in a statement last month.
“The spread of Ebola is not determined by nationality or ethnicity.” WHO estimates that the risk of Congo’s Ebola outbreak spreading internationally is low.
Ebola outbreak in DRC and Uganda triggers WHO emergency alert
Ebola is mostly spread through direct contact with the bodily fluids of someone infected with the disease.
Last week, the US introduced measures preventing Americans who had been in Congo in the previous 21 days from entering the US via commercial aviation.
Seven American aid workers who had been working in Congo to stop the outbreak are currently quarantining in a facility in Kenya.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has recommended against travel bans for people from Congo, saying they can disrupt humanitarian aid and have limited effectiveness.
