Canada will stop issuing visas to people from the three West African nations where the Ebola is widespread, the government said on Friday. The federal citizenship ministry, explaining the move, said in an official document that 'the introduction or spread of the disease would pose an imminent and severe risk to public health'. About 5,000 people have died in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone this year in the worst Ebola outbreak on record. Fears rose that the disease could spread beyond the region after a few cases were diagnosed in Spain and the United States. Cut off: Visa for Canada will no longer be issues for countries affected with Ebola outbreaks, namely Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia
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Canada has stopped issuing visas to people from the West African countries at the heart of the Ebola outbreak
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Authorities said they made the decision because the 'spread of the disease would pose an imminent and severe risk to public health in Canada'
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The ban applies to all visas for people who have been in a country with widespread Ebola transmission in the past three months
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The countries affected are Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia
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Applications in the pipeline will not be processed
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Australia took a similar step earlier this week
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