DR Congo, Ugandan, South Sudanese residents banned from entering Canada, visa suspended

Canadian authorities on Tuesday announced temporary entry restrictions on residents of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, where Ebola cases have been reported, to reduce the risk of the disease entering Canada.
The restriction also affects travellers from South Sudan, which has no confirmed cases but remains on high alert.
The 90-day measure would take effect on Wednesday (today), the government said in a statement on Tuesday by immigration minister Lena Metlege Diab.
Canada said it would suspend the validity of visas and other immigration documents for residents of the affected countries amid growing concerns about the Ebola outbreak. Decisions on new visa applications will also be paused.
“The government of Canada intends to suspend immigration documents for residents of countries that have a high or very high risk of outbreak of Ebola disease for the next 90 days beginning May 27, 23:59 EDT.
“This will mean that even those with a previously approved temporary resident visa, electronic travel authorisation (eTA) or permanent resident visa will not be allowed to travel to Canada while their immigration document is suspended,” it stated.
As part of preventive measures, asymptomatic Canadian citizens and foreign nationals who have been in the DRC, Uganda, or South Sudan within the previous 21 days must quarantine for 21 days.
“Travellers who have symptoms will be isolated at a hospital for further assessment. These measures are being implemented under the Quarantine Act,” it said.
The statement said the people already in Canada were not affected by the decision, while Canadian citizens and residents can still return to the country but will undergo screening upon their arrival.
It added that while Canada has no confirmed Ebola cases and the risk remains low, the government is taking preventive measures “given the severity of Ebola disease and the evolving international situation, including the FIFA World Cup 2026”.
The Bahamian government also advised nationals on Wednesday against travelling to the DRC, South Sudan, and Uganda.
It said its nationals travelling from affected countries would undergo enhanced health screening, with the results determining whether isolation or quarantine would be required.
“Foreign nationals who have been present in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan within 30 days of arrival in the Bahamas may be subject to enhanced public health screening and possible quarantine or isolation measures,” it said in a statement.
Last week, the U.S. government also suspended entry for foreigners who had recently travelled to the DRC, Uganda, or South Sudan.
On May 17, the WHO declared the Ebola outbreak in the DRC and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern.
The Ebola outbreak is caused by Bundibugyo virus disease, which has no treatment or vaccine. As of May 26, health officials said over 900 suspected cases and 223 deaths had been recorded in DRC.
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette

Agriculture
FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology
The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

Economy
Group seeks consumer representation in electricity act committee
“The committee members were drawn from the electricity supply and demand industry, while consumers, who are the key stakeholders on the demand side, were clearly excluded,” he said.

Heading 1
Two U.S. soldiers killed, four injured in Iran attack on Jordan
Two American soldiers were killed as U.S. and allied forces intercepted Iranian ballistic missiles and drones during an attack.

World
Turkey, Egypt deny access to LGBTQ cruise ship
Turkey denied the cruise ship permission to dock over what Ankara described as moral values inconsistent with the Muslim nation’s practices.

Uncategorized
BEDC seeks Appeal Court order to stop auction of seized operational vehicles
BEDC approached the Court of Appeal in Akure to halt the auction of three of its operational vehicles seized to enforce a N20 million judgement.

Sport
Josh Kerr breaks 27-year mile world record at London Diamond League; Nigeria’s Kayinsola Ajayi sets national 100m mark
Ajayi ran a time of 9.84 seconds to win the 100 metres event, beating reigning world champion Oblique Seville of Jamaica, who ran 9.87 seconds.

States
Katsina govt begins statewide 2027 budget consultations
The governor said the consultations would be held simultaneously across all 361 political wards in the state’s 34 local government areas.





