In October, following Australia’s lead, Canada stopped issuing visas for residents and nationals of West African countries battling Ebola. It also temporarily suspended the processing of permanent residence applications for people from Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.
As a result of the move, which was widely condemned, 176 people were denied entry to Canada in the last two months, according to figures from the federal ministry of Citizenship and Immigrantion Canada.
Plus, the government reimbursed some $20 000 in application fees.
The World Health Organization criticized Canada for partially closing its borders, saying although the selective travel ban did not effectively violate the International Health Regulations, it went against the general spirit of the legally-binding treaty — which is that response measures should not exceed those recommended by an emergency committee.
Public health experts have maintained that travel to and from affected countries should remain unrestricted, explaining that the risk of Ebola being spread in an airport or during a flight is low.
So far, the 2014 outbreak of the virus has claimed the lives of at least 7,905 people.
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