Canada Imposes Temporary Ebola Travel Ban

A health worker stands at the Evangelical Medical Center, in Bunia, eastern Congo, Friday, July 3, 2026, where Ebola clinical trials are scheduled to take place.

Canada is tightening its borders over Ebola.

Beginning July 20, foreign nationals who've been in the Democratic Republic of Congo within the past 21 days will be denied entry.

Officials say the temporary measure is meant to reduce public health risks, even though Canada's Public Health Agency acknowledges the risk to Canadians remains low.

The move goes against World Health Organization guidance, which advises against travel bans, warning they can fuel stigma and make outbreaks harder to control.

Ebola spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person, not by nationality or ethnicity.

Congo has reported more than 2,100 cases and over 800 deaths. Similar restrictions have also been introduced by the United States, while European health officials continue to oppose travel bans.