South Africa’s cabinet on
Thursday issued a travel ban for non-citizens arriving from Ebola-hit West
African countries of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
South
Africa’s Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi
said South Africans coming from Guinea, Liberia,
Sierra Leone or Nigeria would be questioned and medically examined, if
necessary.
Also,
a spokesman for South Africa’s health ministry, Jo Maila
said the travel ban would be in place for as long as necessary.
South
Africa’s health ministry said its country’s citizens would be asked to postpone
trips to those countries indefinitely and only allowed to travel if it is
absolutely essential.
The
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Kenya and Zambia had also imposed a
similar ban while several African countries have restricted air travel to the
worst hit Ebola regions.
However,
the World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged airlines and countries to avoid
isolating the three West African nations.
The
UN health agency said “Ebola is not contagious until symptoms appear and even
then it requires bodily fluid to spread by contact.’’
It
added that contracting the disease during air travel was extremely unlikely and
blanket bans and flight restrictions threatened fragile economies.
According
to WHO, the death toll from Ebola virus has reached 1,350 people as at Aug. 18.
Five
deaths have been reported in Nigeria out of 12 confirmed cases since July 20.
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