International Shia News Agency

Canada imposes visa ban on three Ebola-hit countries

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association)

In a move that echoes a recent Australian decision, Canada will stop issuing visas to people from the three West African nations where Ebola is widespread, the government said on Friday.

The federal citizenship ministry, explaining the decision, said in an official document that “the introduction or spread of the disease would pose an imminent and severe risk to public health”.

About 5000 people have died in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone this year in the worst Ebola outbreak on record. Fears rose that the disease could spread beyond the region after a few cases were diagnosed in Spain and the United States.

Canada, which has not reported any cases of Ebola, is following in the footsteps of Australia, which on Tuesday became the first rich nation to issue such a ban. Canada’s official in charge of the response to Ebola said the move was medically unjustified.

Under the new regulations, which come into force immediately, Canada will not process visa applications from foreign nationals who have been in an Ebola-affected country within the previous three months.
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