The United States, Mexico and Canada said on Thursday they have agreed on aligned public health travel measures for people arriving from African regions judged to be at the greatest risk from Ebola, issuing a joint statement as they prepare to host visitors during the World Cup.
In the joint announcement the three governments underscored their priority, saying: "The health and safety of every person in the region remains our highest priority as we welcome the world to North America." The joint statement did not lay out the specific details of the aligned measures.
The actions follow a May 17 decision by the World Health Organization to declare an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo a Public Health Emergency of International Concern and its assessment that there was a high risk the disease could spread to neighboring countries. That determination has led multiple governments to increase travel-related containment steps.
In recent days individual national measures have already been announced. Washington last week imposed a ban on non-citizens who had traveled to the DRC, Uganda or South Sudan in recent weeks from entering the United States. On Friday that ban was extended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to include green card holders who have been in those three countries within the previous 21 days.
Canada has instituted a 90-day ban on entry for residents of the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan, a measure that took effect on Wednesday. In addition, a statement from Canada’s public health agency said that Canadian citizens, permanent residents and other foreign nationals who have been in the affected areas in recent weeks and who do not have symptoms will be required to quarantine for 21 days starting May 30.
Mexico has also moved to tighten screening. Mexico’s Health Secretary David Kershenovich on Monday described enhanced Ebola screening measures at airports, urged the public to avoid travel to the DRC and asked arrivals from the country to observe a 21-day quarantine.
All three governments characterized their coordinated approach as aimed at protecting both residents and visitors during the major international sporting event, while the joint statement left the precise list of aligned steps unspecified.
Context and coordination
The joint statement signals a coordinated regional response, though officials have released differing national measures to date. The scope of the aligned measures referenced in the joint announcement has not been disclosed.
What remains clear
- WHO declared the DRC Ebola outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on May 17 and warned of high risk of spread to neighboring countries.
- The United States, Canada and Mexico announced aligned travel-related public health measures in a joint statement, without detailing those measures.
- National steps already in place include U.S. entry bans for non-citizens who recently visited the DRC, Uganda or South Sudan and CDC extension of the ban to green card holders present in those countries in the previous 21 days; Canada’s 90-day entry ban and 21-day quarantine requirement starting May 30 for certain arrivals; and Mexico’s tightened airport screening and requests for a 21-day quarantine for arrivals from the DRC.