By Gloria Ogbonna
Canada, the Bahamas, and Thailand have announced new emergency travel restrictions in response to the worsening Ebola outbreak in Central Africa, as international health officials warn that the crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is becoming increasingly difficult to contain.
The measures, unveiled this week, target travelers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan, where concerns over cross-border transmission have continued to grow amid ongoing regional instability and humanitarian challenges.
Canada and the Bahamas both announced temporary travel bans on Tuesday, while Thailand imposed a strict quarantine policy for incoming travelers from affected regions.
Canadian authorities confirmed that residents of the DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan will be barred from entering the country for the next 90 days as part of what officials described as a precautionary public health response.
The Canadian government stated that even individuals who had already received travel approvals or immigration clearances would not be permitted to enter during the restriction period. In addition, Ottawa announced that no new immigration applications from citizens of the three affected countries will be processed until the temporary suspension expires.
Canadian health officials emphasized that the move is intended to prevent the deadly virus from entering the country while international monitoring efforts continue.
“While the risk to people in Canada remains low, the Government of Canada is taking a precautionary approach given the severity of Ebola disease and the evolving international situation, including the FIFA World Cup 2026,” Canada’s public health agency said in a statement.
Canadian Health Minister Marjorie Michel also defended the emergency measures, saying public safety remains the government’s highest priority.
“The health and safety of people in Canada is our top priority,” Michel said. “These temporary border measures will help reduce the risk of Ebola disease entering the country while ensuring that travellers are managed based on their level of risk.”
The Bahamas announced similar restrictions, although its travel ban will remain in effect for 30 days rather than 90. Officials there also introduced quarantine requirements for returning citizens and permanent residents who have recently traveled through outbreak areas.
Canada specified that returning residents from affected regions will face a mandatory 21-day quarantine period, matching the virus’s incubation timeline. The Bahamas, meanwhile, announced a stricter 30-day quarantine policy for those entering from high-risk zones.
Thailand also escalated its response dramatically this week. The country had initially designated the DRC and Uganda as “dangerous communicable disease infected zones” on May 21, requiring arriving travelers to provide their addresses and phone numbers for health monitoring purposes.
However, on Wednesday, Thai authorities upgraded those measures to a mandatory 21-day quarantine for all travelers arriving from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.
The United States was among the first countries to introduce restrictions related to the outbreak. American travel measures affecting the DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan officially began on May 18.
Just days later, concerns over enforcement intensified after an Air France flight traveling from Paris to Detroit was diverted to Canada when officials discovered that a passenger from the DRC had mistakenly been allowed to board despite U.S. restrictions.
As part of its containment strategy, the United States directed all American citizens returning from outbreak areas to enter through only three designated airports equipped for enhanced health screening procedures: Washington Dulles International Airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.
The World Health Organization (W.H.O.) recently upgraded the Ebola threat level in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to “very high,” though the agency stressed that the risk of a global pandemic spreading beyond the region remains relatively low at this time.
Despite the rising concern, W.H.O. officials have generally opposed widespread border closures and blanket travel bans. The organization warned that such restrictions could unintentionally worsen the outbreak by driving people toward unofficial and unmonitored border crossings.
According to W.H.O., those hidden routes could increase the likelihood of infected individuals moving undetected across borders, making the disease even harder to track and contain.
Meanwhile, humanitarian organizations have expressed growing alarm about the rapidly deteriorating situation inside eastern Congo.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) warned that the outbreak appears to be spreading faster than local health authorities and international aid workers can respond. While only limited transmission has been reported in Uganda so far, and no confirmed spread has been recorded outside the region, aid groups say the warning signs are becoming impossible to ignore.
“The warning signs are flashing red,” said IRC vice president of emergencies Bob Kitchen. “The risks are growing and the resources are shrinking. That is the brutal arithmetic facing global aid today.”
On Wednesday, Uganda announced one of the region’s most aggressive responses by completely shutting its border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo with immediate effect.
Ugandan officials said only emergency travel will now be permitted across the border, and anyone entering Uganda from Congo under exceptional circumstances will be required to self-isolate for 21 days.
The Ugandan government explained that the decision came after several healthcare workers in Uganda were exposed to Ebola while treating Congolese patients who had crossed the border seeking medical care.
Enforcing the closure, however, may prove extremely difficult. The border between Uganda and the DRC stretches for hundreds of miles and contains numerous unofficial crossings and remote footpaths that are difficult to patrol. Compounding the challenge is the ongoing violence and political instability in eastern Congo, where clashes between armed groups and government forces continue to disrupt humanitarian operations.
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus issued an urgent appeal Wednesday for an immediate ceasefire in eastern Congo, warning that continued violence is severely hampering efforts to contain the outbreak.
“Stopping this Ebola transmission depends entirely on humanitarian access,” Tedros said. “Yet ongoing clashes are driving mass displacement, pushing exposed contacts into overcrowded camps and severing critical containment corridors.”
He also warned that attacks on hospitals and healthcare facilities are making it nearly impossible for frontline workers to track infections and prevent further spread of the disease.
“Frontline workers are risking everything, while attacks on health facilities make tracking cases and their contacts nearly impossible,” he said.
As governments tighten restrictions and health agencies race to contain the outbreak, global attention is increasingly focused on whether international cooperation and emergency measures will be enough to prevent the crisis from escalating further.
Source Breitbart
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