List of travel bans in reaction to Ebola - now issued by Australia and Canada too

© AFP Photo/Simon Maina

The deadliest outbreak on record of the Ebola virus has prompted some countries to respond with travel bans, in an attempt to curb the spread of the deadly virus.

The World Health Organization has recommended against any general ban on travel or trade with the West African countries that have been affected by the epidemic. The three countries most affected by the virus are Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. There were a small number of cases in Senegal, Nigeria and Mali. The WHO declared Senegal Ebola-free on Oct. 18 and declared Nigeria Ebola-free on Oct. 19.

What follows is a list of travel bans imposed by various countries:

Zambia, Aug. 9: Bans travellers from countries affected by the Ebola virus

Kenya, Aug. 16: Bans travellers from Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

South Africa, Aug. 21: Restricts entry for non-citizens travelling from Guinea, Liberia or Sierra Leone; restrictions could be waived for "absolutely essential travel."

Gabon, Aug. 22: Restricting issuance of entry visas to travellers from Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria on case-by-case basis.

Rwanda, Aug. 22: Bans travellers who have visited Guinea, Liberia, or Sierra Leone in prior 22 days.

Senegal, Aug. 22: Bans flights to and from Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. It also shut its southern land border with Guinea.

Ivory Coast, Aug 23: Closed land borders with Guinea and Liberia. Borders reopened in early October.

Seychelles, Aug. 26: Bans travellers who have visited Sierra Leone, Liberia, Nigeria and Democratic Republic of Congo "for any length of time." Also bans Seychelles nationals from travelling to Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, Nigeria or Democratic Republic of Congo, unless permitted by Public Health Commissioner.

Guyana, Sept. 9: Stops issuing visas to citizens of Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. Ban not announced until Oct. 16.

Haiti, Oct. 3: Bans volunteers from departing for African countries hit by the Ebola virus; issued after United Nations said it was recruiting volunteers to respond to the Ebola outbreak. It also bans entry to travellers who have been in Guinea, Liberia or Sierra Leone over the previous 28 days. Those who have visited the four countries more than 28 days before seeking to enter Haiti must present a government-certified health certificate and the results of a blood test for Ebola upon arrival.

Mauritius, Oct. 8: Bans travellers who have visited Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, Senegal and Democratic Republic of Congo in the previous two months. Bans on Senegal and Nigeria lifted Oct. 10 and 17, respectively, provided no new cases of Ebola.

Colombia, Oct. 14: Denies entry to travellers who have visited Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and Nigeria in past four weeks.

St. Kitts and Nevis, Oct. 15: Bans visitors from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. Travellers who have visited the three countries in the previous 21 days will also be banned.

Jamaica, Oct. 16: Bans foreigners arriving from Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone and bans foreigners who have visited any of the four countries within four weeks prior to arrival in Jamaica. Jamaicans who have visited those countries will be quarantined for 28 days.

Antigua and Barbuda, Oct. 17: Bans nationals of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, and bans entry to anyone who has been in those countries in the past 21 days.

Belize, Oct. 18: Stops issuing visas to nationals of Guinea, Liberia and Nigeria. Sierra Leone nationals, who do not need visa to enter Belize, are also banned. Anyone who visits one of these four countries in past 30 days will also be denied entry.

Dominican Republic, Oct. 21: Bans entry to foreigners who have visited countries where the World Health Organization has declared an Ebola alert in the last 30 days.

Suriname, Oct. 21: Bans non-Surinamers who have visited Sierra Leone, Guinea or Liberia in the previous 21 days.

St. Lucia, Oct 22: Nationals from Sierra Leone and Guinea banned from entering.

North Korea, Oct. 23: Bans entry to foreigners on tourist trips due to worries over the spread of Ebola. Later, North Korea says anyone entering the country from anywhere will be quarantined for up to 21 days.

Cape Verde: Bans travels by non-resident foreigners who have been in Sierra Leone, Guinea or Liberia in the past 30 days.

Equatorial Guinea: Denies entry to travellers whose trips originated in countries affected by Ebola.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines: Ban visitors from Guinea, Nigeria and Sierra Leone

Australia, Oct. 28: First developed country to shut its borders to citizens of the countries worst-hit by the West African Ebola outbreak. Bans visas for citizens of Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.

Canada, Oct. 31: Stops issuing visas to people from Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.