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

Canada is introducing quarantine requirements for travellers who have recently been in 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.

As of time of writing, these measures only impact travellers from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan. However, they may be expanded to include other regions that are impacted by the Ebola outbreak in the future.

Who is required to quarantine?

The measure covers Canadian citizens, permanent residents, persons registered under the Indian Act, 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.

How does this fit into Canada's wider Ebola response?

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

On May 26, Canada announced the 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, due to Ebola outbreak risks.

IRCC also paused the processing of new applications from residents of these countries during that period.

These measures, which have been put in place starting May 27 for a period of 90 days, address only residents of the three countries who are planning travel to Canada.

The quarantine rules, on the other hand, address anyone who has been in the affected areas within the last 21 days before travelling to Canada.

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.