Canada has stopped issuing visas to residents of West African countries battling the Ebola virus.
The order, effective immediately, follows a similar move by Australia, the Canadian Press reported Friday afternoon.
The Canadian government said it had halted visa applications for residents and nationals of countries with “widespread and persistent-intense transmission” of Ebola virus disease.
The countries most severely hit by the worst Ebola outbreak ever are Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
Kevin Menard, spokesman for Chris Alexander, Canada’s minister of citizenship and immigration, said the move is similar to but less restrictive than the one the Australian government announced this week, the Canadian Press said.
Health experts, including the World Health Organization, have criticized Australia for barring entry of West Africans, saying that closing borders won’t stop the spread of Ebola.
Several U.S. states, including New York and New Jersey, have imposed mandatory quarantines on healthcare workers returning from West Africa amid fears of spreading the virus.
