The Dominican Republic said Tuesday it was banning travellers who have visited countries affected by endemic outbreaks of Ebola. Among the countries banned are Nigeria and Senegal, despite the duo being declared Ebola free by the World Health Organisation.
Authorities will “deny entry into Dominican territory to people who in the past 30 days have visited any of the countries declared to be on a state of alert by the World Health Organization,” said Health Minister Altagracia Guzman.
She listed the other countries as Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, where #Ebolavirus has done much greater damage.
As part of the new measures, the Caribbean country, whose tourism industry is a key source of revenue, has ordered ships and airlines to inform medical personnel at ports and airports if they carry any travellers who have visited the listed countries in the past month.
Any passengers showing symptoms of the disease — which include fever, vomiting, diarrhea and muscle and joint pain — will be taken to a “rigorously equipped” health facility, said Guzman.
The Ebola virus has killed more than 4,500 people in west Africa since the beginning of the year.
It has not spread to Latin America or the Caribbean so far, despite several false alarms.