Ottawa to temporarily ban foreign nationals travelling from Congo over Ebola risk

OTTAWA — The Liberal government in Ottawa will bar foreign nationals who set foot in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the past 21 days from entry to Canada due to the risk of importing the deadly Ebola disease.

The Public Health Agency of Canada said on Sunday the new, temporary measure will come into effect on Monday night at 11:59 p.m. EST.

Commercial and private air carriers are also not allowed to board those foreign nationals on flights into the country.

The World Health Organization has said Congo’s current Ebola epidemic has become the third largest on record. The virus causing the disease has spread rapidly, resulting in more than 2,100 reported cases and 864 deaths.

The Canadian government said it’s taking a cautious approach as it tightens border restrictions, even though the overall risks remain low to Canadians.

“Limiting entry of foreign nationals who have been in (Congo) in the previous 21 days may reduce public health risks for Canadians,” the public health agency said in a statement on Sunday.

It said the move is being put in place to “increase the effectiveness and sustainability of border measures that can safely process travellers arriving in Canada, including our returning humanitarian workers.”

The new travel ban will not apply to Canadian citizens or permanent residents, who must quarantine on arrival for 21 days if they’ve been to Congo, Uganda or South Sudan. That quarantine measure, which has been in effect since May 30, expires on Aug. 29.

The government agency noted there have been no domestic cases of Ebola reported from travellers returning from countries suffering outbreaks.

“These temporary border measures are out of an abundance of caution, as the health risk to Canadians from Ebola disease is considered low,” the public health agency’s Sunday statement further said.

Even if an infected person made it into Canada, federal health officials have previously said transmission would likely be limited.

The viral disease spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people or animals. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhea and bleeding.

The Bundibugyo virus that is driving the current outbreak is less common than other viruses which cause Ebola disease.

There is no approved vaccine or treatment.

Standard air travel between the two countries is low volume. About 1,000 people travel between Congo and Canada in a month on average, according to a public health agency assessment from May, and Canadian citizens make up about 40 per cent of those travellers. Travel tends to be highest between June and September.

Historically, Ebola outbreaks in Congo have not led to importations to Canada.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration recently unveiled a new policy barring American citizens from returning from Congo until they spend 21 days quarantined in a third country.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 19, 2026.

— With files from The Associated Press