Mauritius limits entry of foreigners following Ebola outbreak

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The Mauritian government has imposed a temporary entry ban on foreign nationals who have travelled to, transited through, or stayed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Uganda, or South Sudan over the past 21 days following the latest outbreak of the Ebola virus.

Mauritian citizens and foreign residents holding valid work, residence, occupation, business, or student permits will still be allowed to enter the country, but will be subject to a mandatory 21-day quarantine if they have visited any of the three countries within the previous three weeks.

According to the African Union, the Ebola outbreak in the DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan continues to pose a serious threat to regional public health, reports Xinhua news agency.

Mauritian authorities will also require screening and risk assessment at points of entry for travellers arriving from affected countries. Any traveller presenting symptoms of the disease will be immediately isolated and clinically assessed.

The government has called for the 18th US-Africa Business Summit, initially scheduled for July in Mauritius, to be postponed.

The Ebola outbreak was declared in the DRC and Uganda on May 15. The World Health Organization subsequently declared it to be a public health emergency of international concern.

The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday launched a continental Ebola outbreak preparedness and response plan, aiming to raise 518 million US dollars to support African countries in preparing for, rapidly detecting and responding to the outbreak for the period between June and November.

According to the Africa CDC and WHO, a total of 34 health workers have been infected with the Ebola virus so far, among whom seven died and six recovered.

Africa CDC and WHO have also highlighted major operational challenges, including a lack of available medical countermeasures to the Bundibugyo Ebola strain, weak health infrastructure, and pressure on health systems already battling multiple health emergencies, with resource constraints, high population mobility, insecurity and displacement, health worker infections, and misinformation and mistrust further compounding the situation.

To better coordinate efforts to contain the outbreak, the two institutions, during the press conference, launched a continental Ebola outbreak preparedness and response plan, aiming to raise 518 million US dollars to support African countries to prepare for, rapidly detect and respond to the outbreak for the period between June and November.

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