Afcon Players & Visitors To Be Tested For Ebola On Entering Malabo

Players and spectators entering Equatorial Guinea for this month’s Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) will be tested for Ebola, says Caf.

Equatorial Guinea agreed to host the showpiece between January 17 and February 8 at short notice after its original hosts Morocco called for postponement because of fears over the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and fans traveling from that region.

Congo, Burkina Faso, Tunisia, Republic of Congo and Ghana were expected to arrive on Wednesday. Cape Verde was the first team to arrive on Tuesday and was checked, according to the Confederation of African Football (Caf).

Zambian Players Exiting Their Country for Afcon 2015 Training Camp.
Zambian Players Exiting Their Country for Afcon 2015 Training Camp.

”All the delegations are landing in Malabo for health checks,” Caf said in a statement. ”It was the case for Cape Verde yesterday and DR Congo today. And it will be the case for all the teams.”

Ebola has claimed over 8,000 lives, mostly in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. Guinea is the only one of those three that has qualified for the African Cup.

The tournament will be staged in the capital city of Malabo, the largest city, Bata, Mongomo and Ebebeyin.