US, Mexico and Canada issue trilateral statement on public health travel measures

Ottawa, May 28 (IANS): The United States, Mexico and Canada on Thursday issued a trilateral statement on public health travel measures in the wake of the Ebola virus outbreak in parts of Africa. “The United States, Mexico and Canada have announced aligned public health travel measures for individuals arriving from African regions considered at greatest risk from the Ebola virus. This coordinated approach aims to protect our citizens and the millions of visitors, fans, athletes and tourists expected during the FIFA World Cup 2026, while maintaining travel and commerce across our borders,” the statement said. “The health and safety of every person in the region remains our highest priority as we welcome the world to North America,” it added. Earlier on Wednesday (local time), US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trump administration was working aggressively to prevent Ebola cases from entering the country amid growing concern over the outbreak in parts of Africa. Speaking during a Cabinet meeting chaired by President Donald Trump at the White House, Rubio said the administration’s top priority was protecting Americans from any potential spread of the virus. “We cannot and will not allow any cases of Ebola to enter the United States,” Rubio said. He said the State Department, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and several other federal agencies were coordinating efforts to contain the outbreak in affected regions, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. “We’ve surged assistance to make sure that that is being contained there,” Rubio said. The Secretary of State added that US agencies were also monitoring travellers and border movements to ensure infected individuals did not enter the country. Meanwhile, Uganda has banned mass public gatherings in an effort to curb the spread of Ebola in the East African country. In a circular issued late on Wednesday, Uganda’s Ministry of Health said activities that attract large crowds, including music concerts, cultural festivals, public rallies, political mobilisation events, marathons and cross-border marketing activities, had been prohibited.

-IANS