US, Mexico, Canada announce Ebola-related travel measures for World Cup

The United States, ⁠Mexico and Canada ⁠have announced aligned public health travel measures for people coming from African regions at the greatest risk from Ebola as they aim to protect citizens and visitors during the World Cup, which begins next month.

“The health and safety ⁠of every person in the region remains our highest priority as we welcome the world to North America,” they said in a joint statement on Thursday that did not detail the aligned measures.

The World Health Organization on May 17 ‌declared an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) a public health emergency of international concern and said there was a high risk it could spread to neighbouring countries.

The decision has prompted governments to step up travel-related containment measures.

Washington last week banned noncitizens who had travelled to the DRC, Uganda or South Sudan ⁠in recent weeks from entering the US. ⁠On Friday, the ban was extended by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to green card holders who have been in those countries in the previous 21 days.

Canada ⁠has banned residents from the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan from entering the country for 90 ⁠days. The ban started on Wednesday.

Canadian citizens, permanent ⁠residents and other foreign nationals who have been in affected areas in recent weeks and do not have symptoms will have to quarantine for 21 days from Saturday, according ‌to a statement from Canada’s Public Health Agency.

Mexican Health Secretary David Kershenovich on Monday outlined tighter Ebola screening measures at airports, urging the public ‌to ‌avoid travel to the DRC and asking arrivals from the country to observe a 21-day quarantine.