Canada halts 24,000+ travel docs for three African nations

The Canadian government has implemented a 90-day suspension of immigration and travel documents for individuals currently in three African nations, a move officials say could affect more than 24,000 documents as part of an effort to prevent the Ebola virus from entering the country. The measures, which took effect just before midnight on May 27, apply to residents of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan.

According to the immigration department, the suspension covers electronic travel authorizations, temporary resident visas, and permanent resident visas for people physically present in any of the three listed countries. Officials stated that decisions on new applications for these documents will be paused for the duration of the order. The processing of passports, permanent resident cards, and permanent resident travel documents will continue, as will visa extensions for foreign nationals already legally within Canada.

In a related public health order, anyone arriving in Canada from the affected regions will be required to undergo a mandatory 21-day quarantine. This requirement, enacted under the Quarantine Act, is set to expire on August 29. Officials...