Dr. Roojin Habibi, Research Director of the Global Health Law program at the Global Strategy Lab, spoke with The Canadian Press about the Canadian federal government’s Ebola-related travel and immigration measures, expressing concerns about their public health rationale.
Her comments followed the federal government’s announcement on August 28 that it would extend the measures for 30 more days, to September 28. Immigration and visa decisions for residents of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan remain suspended; people from those countries holding valid visas remain barred from entry; and the 21-day quarantine for anyone returning from the three countries stays in place.
“I’m disappointed to learn that the Canadian federal government has today opted to double down on discriminatory and harmful travel and immigration restrictions in relation to the Ebola disease outbreak in DRC.” – Said Dr. Habibi in a separate LinkedIn post, circling back to an op ed published in Globe and Mail in May with colleagues Y.Y. Brandon Chen and Jamie Liew, written in response to the initial set of measures introduced ahead of the FIFA World Cup.
In earlier coverage published August 22, Dr. Habibi told The Canadian Press that Canada’s travel restrictions go against expert guidance from the World Health Organization, and noted that while the government has told the public that the risk of Ebola spreading in Canada is very low, the measures are intended to avoid criticism saying that not enough was done to protect Canadians.
Since the writing of this story, the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization have declared the outbreak in Uganda over, on August 27. No cases have been reported in South Sudan. The outbreak continues in the DRC, where it is caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola virus, for which there is no specific vaccine or treatment.
- Read the full coverage from The Canadian Press: https://www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/national/canada-extends-ebola-travel-restrictions-for-another-30-days/article_4b3353d9-dc64-5e91-8fc0-b77d68aa29b9.html
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