Canada join US and Mexico in banning residents of three African nations ahead of World Cup
Millions of fans are set to descend on the US, Mexico and Canada for the World Cup, but for people travelling from certain parts of Africa, getting there just got a whole lot harder.
The backdrop to all of this is a public health emergency that only a handful of people will have seen coming.
Back on May 17, the World Health Organisation declared an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, the highest alarm level it can raise.
With the risk of spread to neighbouring countries rated as high, governments around the world have been scrambling to respond.
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And now, with the World Cup drawing near, three of the host nations have moved in lockstep to reduce the risk of the World Cup becoming an Ebola super-spreading event.
The United States, Mexico and Canada issued a joint statement confirming they had aligned their public health travel measures for people arriving from the regions of Africa most at risk from Ebola.
"The health and safety of every person in the region remains our highest priority as we welcome the world to North America," the statement read, though it stopped short of spelling out exactly what those measures would look like.
Which nations are banned from entering the US?
Washington was first to act. Last week, the US banned non-citizens who had recently travelled to the DRC, Uganda or South Sudan from entering the country.
Since then, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has extended the restrictions to green card holders who have been in any of those three countries within the past 21 days.
Who are Canada and Mexico banning from entering?
Canada has gone further than its southern neighbour in some respects, banning residents of the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan from entering the country for a full 90 days, a measure that came into force on Wednesday.
Canadian citizens, permanent residents and certain other foreign nationals who have recently been in affected areas but show no symptoms will be required to quarantine for 21 days from May 30.
Mexico, meanwhile, has taken a slightly different tack.
Health Secretary David Kershenovich announced tighter Ebola screening measures at airports on Monday, urged the public to avoid travel to the DRC, and asked anyone arriving from the country to observe a 21-day quarantine period.
With millions expected to cross borders in the coming weeks, all three nations are making clear they're not prepared to take any chances.
Thomas Bamford