Canada's travel bans on Ebola-affected countries widen divide

The World Health Organization is pressuring countries to lift travel restrictions on people from Ebola-affected regions, but Canada is not backing down—at least not yet.

Canada announced this week that it is pausing immigration and travel applications for people from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan for 90 days. The federal government also initiated a mandatory 21-day self-isolation period for anyone entering Canada who has recently been in those countries. The move comes as an outbreak of Bundibugyo virus—a rare type of Ebola with no licensed vaccine or treatment—has spread from the DRC to Uganda.

The WHO's director-general said Wednesday that blanket travel restrictions "have no basis in science" and are "disrupting supply chains and hindering the response." The organization is calling on countries that have imposed restrictions to lift them immediately.

Canadian officials are not swayed. A spokesperson for the immigration minister said the safety and well-being of Canadians is the top priority, and the approach will be adapted if needed. The federal health minister reinforced that stance, saying the measures will "help protect the health of people in Canada, and the strength and stability of Canada's health-care system."

Canada, the United States, and Mexico aligned their public health measures last week, acknowledging that the risk of Ebola in their own countries remains low. The steps are described as "out of an abundance of caution."

The outbreak itself has been scaled back in severity by WHO's latest count. The organization initially reported more than 1,000 suspected cases but revised that down to 116 this week as it worked through a backlog and ruled out people with other diseases. Still, there have been more than 340 confirmed cases in the DRC, including 60 deaths. Uganda has 15 confirmed cases and one death.