EBOLA NEWS - Canada rejects 176 visitors from Ebola-affected countries

Canada rejects 176 visitors from Ebola-affected countries

An estimated 176 people were turned away from Canada after the imposition of a partial travel ban involving Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

MELISSA MARAJ / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILE PHOTO

A passenger arriving from Sierra Leone is screened for the Ebola virus at a Chicago airport last autumn, around the time Ottawa announced it would stop processing visa applications from the country.

By: Stephanie Levitz The Canadian Press, Published on Wed Dec 31 2014

OTTAWA—Newly released figures show an estimated 176 people were turned away from Canada after the imposition of a partial travel ban from Ebola-affected countries in West Africa.

The federal government put the controversial measures in place at the end of October, barring people from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone from receiving visas to come to Canada.

At the same time, the government announced it would also stop processing visa and visitor applications in the queue.

In newly published information, the immigration department says an estimated 176 applications have been affected, resulting in a return of approximately $20,000 in fees.

The World Health Organization had asked countries not to close their borders due to the Ebola outbreak and Canada’s move drew widespread condemnation.

But the government said the ban was only partial as it did not apply to Canadians coming from the affected region nor people who already had visas, and thus did not contravene international health regulations.

According to the most recently available data from Statistics Canada, 904 people from the three countries came to Canada between January and October of this year.

The applications returned were for temporary resident visas, and work and study permits, with the majority coming from Guinea.

The latest data from the WHO says there have been nearly 20,000 reported cases of the virus since the outbreak began last year and 7,588 reported deaths.

There are currently 37 Canadian Armed Forces doctors, medics, nurses and support staff working at a British-run Ebola treatment clinic in Sierra Leone.

Canada is also running two mobile laboratories in that country.

Source: http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/12/31/canada_rejects_176_visitors_from_ebolaaffected_countries.html