Canada Stops Issuing Visas to Residents of Western African Countries Like Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia with Widespread Ebola

AT LEAST SOME ONE IN NORTH AMERICA CARES ABOUT KEEPING THEIR CITIZENS SAFE FROM EBOLA, EH…

Effective immediately, Canada has stopped issuing travel visas to individuals who are residents of Western African countries where Ebola is widespread. Canada has closed its doors to residents of countries like Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia that are ramped with Ebola. In a news release issued some hours later, the government said it was taking “new precautionary measures to protect the health and safety of Canadians.” Unlike in America where we have a government who would behind the scenes plan to bring Ebola to the United States to treat and in turn put 300 million citizens at risk, Canada has instead chose to protect their land and citizens  … God keep our land, glorious and free. O Canada, we stand on guard for thee!

KUDOS to Canada as they did what was in the best interest of Canada, not what was politically correct.

O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

Canada is following in Australia’s footsteps and has closed its doors, effectively immediately, to people from the West African countries battling Ebola.

In a move that puts Canada at odds with the World Health Organization, the federal government said Friday it is suspending the issuance of visas for residents and nationals of countries with “widespread and persistent-intense transmission” of Ebola virus disease. As well, work on permanent residence applications for people from the affected countries is also being suspended.

The stress on countries with widespread transmission provides an out for the United States, which currently still has at least one active Ebola case within its borders. At present only three countries meet the definition of widespread and persistent Ebola transmission: Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

The change was announced Friday in the Canada Gazette. In a news release issued some hours later, the government said it was taking “new precautionary measures to protect the health and safety of Canadians.”

The government said the move does not affect Canadians in West Africa; Canadian health-care workers helping in the effort to contain Ebola will be permitted back into Canada, the release said. As well, Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander retains the discretion to grant entry on a case-by-case basis in exceptional circumstances “where travel is essential and in Canada’s interest.”

“The precautionary measures announced today build on actions we have taken to protect the health and safety of Canadians here at home,” the news release quoted Alexander as saying.

UPDATE I: Doctors Without Borders, reports that Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone is ‘catastrophic’ and under-reported.

 Ebola has wiped out whole villages in Sierra Leone and may have caused many more deaths than the nearly 5,000 official global toll, a senior coordinator of the medical aid group MSF said Friday.

Rony Zachariah of Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF, said after visiting Sierra Leone that the Ebola figures were “under-reported”, in an interview with AFP on the sidelines of a medical conference in Barcelona.

“The situation is catastrophic. There are several villages and communities that have been basically wiped out. In one of the villages I went to, there were 40 inhabitants and 39 died,” he said.

The World Health Organization (WHO) published revised figures on Friday showing 4,951 people have died of Ebola and there was a total of 13,567 reported cases.