‘This is torture’: Lives of Congolese people disrupted by Canada’s Ebola travel ban

TORONTO — A wedding missed. A school semester deferred.

The last several months have been marked by misses for people from the Democratic Republic of Congo with ties to Canada.

Visa holders from the DRC have been banned from entering the country since May, which Canada’s government has called a precautionary measure as an Ebola outbreak rapidly spreads predominantly in a concentrated area of northeastern Congo.

“This is torture for people, to be separated from their families,” Theodyle Kumpava said from Kinshasa, almost 3,000 kilometres from the outbreak in the country’s southwest, where no cases have been reported.

Several people whose lives have been disrupted by the ban have shared their stories ahead of Sept. 28, when the restrictions are set to expire.

They question why they can’t quarantine for 21 days, like Canadian citizens and permanent residents can, or take an Ebola test before boarding a flight, or self-monitor for symptoms, as is the case in Europe.

The government has not said whether it plans to extend the measures again. Last month, they were extended by 30 days at short notice.

A ‘DOUBLE STANDARD’

Kumpava is praying the measures won’t be extended again.

Her son Nathan Boongo, a permanent resident and civil engineer, is getting married on Oct. 2 at a venue near Ottawa, where he went to university and met his fiancée.

Just the thought of not walking him down the aisle is suffocating, she said.

“To not see the children while I’m alive, it feels like they’ve killed me already. It’s like I can’t exist,” Kumpava said, speaking of being separated from Boongo and three other sons who live in Canada.

Kumpava and her husband already missed their younger son’s graduation in June because of the restrictions.

At the time, the government characterized the measures as precautionary ahead of an increase in tourism tied to the World Cup, despite World Health Organization guidance against blanket travel bans.

Mark Johnson, a spokesperson for the Public Health Agency of Canada, said the risk of Ebola to people in Canada is low, but “given the severity of Ebola disease and the evolving international situation” the travel restrictions remain in place.

Johnson said the government recognizes that border measures can place burdens on Canadians, their families and people coming to Canada.

Health organizations including the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control have instead advised travellers returning from the DRC or Uganda to self-monitor for symptoms and only quarantine if they have a high-risk exposure.

Boongo questions why Canada’s rules differ.

“I’m African,” said Boongo, before hesitating to add, “There is always a double standard.”

His fiancé and partner of nine years, Claude-Dee Laguerre, chimed in with a case in point – cruise passengers who were on board a Dutch ship hit by hantavirus in May were allowed to quarantine in Canada.

“It almost feels like you treat people like second-class citizens because, and again, we hate to say that because we appreciate that the situation is dangerous, we understand, but make it fair for everyone,” Laguerre said.

STUDENT VISAS

After weeks of trying to reach Canadian immigration agents without success, David Isiyo had to defer his third year at a college in Quebec.

“I fully have to postpone my semester. That’s what hurts me,” he said.

“I had planned to come back around August 10,” Isiyo said from his hometown of Kinshasa. His siblings and cousins could be heard in the background. “I wanted to make the most of the time with my family.”

He called Canada’s immigration office right as it opened repeatedly to see if he could get an exemption from the restrictions to get back to school. He wanted to ask if he could quarantine in Europe, or if there were any options that would prevent him from deferring the semester.

A communications adviser at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said the government will grant exemptions to foreign nationals in “limited circumstances” on a case-by-case basis, “taking into consideration the individual’s level of public health risk, proposed risk mitigation measures, any urgent protection needs, and other relevant humanitarian and compassionate considerations.”

But every time Isiyo tried to reach an agent, he said an automated voice told him there was a high number of calls and that they would be in touch soon.

“But after that they never called me,” Isiyo said.

His classes in administration and management had to be in-person, so ultimately, he said, “It’s a situation beyond my control.” There was nothing more he could do.

A WEDDING MISSED

Richard Lehani watched his son get married in August through a computer screen.

“We were unhappy, following things at a distance,” said Lehani, who lives in Kinshasa and has five children in Canada.

He and his wife had spent weeks in Belgium, hopeful that if Canada lifted its border measures they would be allowed into the country since they had already spent ample time outside of the Congo.

In Belgium, there are no restrictions on the entry of people from Ebola-affected countries.

“The measure is really discriminatory in nature,” said Lehani, pointing out that people from the Congo would pose the same transmission risk as Canadians returning from the Congo.

“So, can (Canadian) residents not bring the disease? It’s only Congolese people who don’t live in Canada?”

He was saddened by the missing of the family milestone, but he was also upset by the moral injustice that he deemed at the core of the border ban.

“The measure really harmed us,” Lehani said.

– With files from Marieke Glorieux-Stryckman in Montreal.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 22, 2026.

Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.

Hannah Alberga, The Canadian Press