The fear of Ebola is indeed the beginning of wisdom as the Confederation of African Football said all participating teams must be tested for Ebola on arrival. The CAF also mandated all teams must travel through Malabo, Equatorial Guinea’s capital.
According to the statement released by CAF, ant player or official who show any signs of the contagious virus or who refused to be examined, could be quarantined for up to 21 days.
“Everyone arriving at the Nations Cup must respect the medical rules and regulations,” CAF said in a statement.
The tough regulations reflect fears of the spread of the deadly haemorrhagic fever that led Morocco to ask for a postponement of the 16-team tournament.
Instead, they were stripped of their hosting rights and Equatorial Guinea stepped in at the last moment to take over.
The worst epidemic of the virus on record has killed more than 8,371 people and infected 21,171 in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, according to World Health Organization figures released on Monday. Guinea are competing at the Nations Cup but the other two countries not.
The Nations Cup kicks off on Saturday, January 17 and ends on February 8.