Canada to impose quarantine on travellers returning from Ebola-stricken regions

Canada is introducing quarantine requirements for travellers who have recently been to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan, in response to the Ebola outbreak.

The quarantine requirement will take effect on May 30 at 11:59 p.m. EDT and remain in place until August 29, 2026.

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 As of time of writing, these measures are limited to travellers who have visited the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan within the 21 days prior to returning to Canada.

According to the federal government's press release, the quarantine may be expanded in the future to include additional regions impacted by the Ebola outbreak.

Who is required to quarantine?

The measure covers Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and foreign nationals who have been in any of the three affected countries within the previous 21 days and do not have symptoms.

Those individuals will be required to quarantine for 21 days upon arrival in Canada.

If a traveller does not have a location where they can safely quarantine, the government will provide one.

Travellers who have symptoms will be isolated at a hospital for further assessment.

This marks the first time that the government of Canada has imposed quarantine requirements on travellers entering the country since Canada lifted its COVID-19 travel restrictions in 2022.

The government has indicated it will continue to monitor the situation and adjust these measures as needed. Those affected are encouraged to check Canada's travel advisories page for the latest updates.

Visa suspension from affected regions

The quarantine announcement is part of a two-pronged approach to the risk of the Ebola outbreak the government announced this week.

On May 26, Canada announced a 90-day suspension of visitor visas (also known as temporary resident visas), electronic travel authorizations (eTAs) and permanent resident (PR) visas for residents from the same countries, meaning that foreign nationals holding previously issued travel documents will not be allowed to travel to Canada.

The suspension is set to take effect at 11:59pm Eastern time on May 27.

IRCC also paused the processing of new applications from residents of these countries over the same period.

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