Australia bans visas for travelers from West Africa over Ebola fears

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Australia bans visas for travelers from West Africa over Ebola fears

Ebola13
A health worker sprays disinfectant onto a college after they worked with the body of a man, suspected of contracting and dying form the Ebola virus on the outskirts of Monrovia, Liberia, Monday, Oct. 27, 2014.
Image: Abbas Dulleh/Associated Press

Australia won’t allow anyone traveling from the three West African countries hit hardest by Ebola — Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia — to enter, Immigration Minister Scott Morrison announced on Tuesday.

The ban, which begins immediately, began after an 18-year-old arriving from West Africa was admitted to the hospital with a fever, according to BBC Australia. She was tested, however, and did not have Ebola.

Morrison said Tuesday the temporary ban also applies to anyone who had a temporary visa approved, but who had not yet gone to Australia.

Travelers with permanent visas must undergo a 21-day quarantine in Africa before flying back to Australia.

Australia’s Prime Minister Tony Abbott has refused to send medical teams to West Africa to assist in helping where Ebola has hit the hardest. The country has sent money, however.

No cases of Ebola have been reported in Australia.

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