People from Ebola-hit nations not invited to Canton Fair, Guinea community leader claims
But a spokesperson for event says their numbers will simply be reduced
Barry Sultane, the leader of the Guinea community in Guangzhou, said people from Ebola-hit African nations were not invited to this year’s Canton Fair, which kicked off on Wednesday, although a fair spokesperson had been quoted by local media as saying the number of people from countries such as Guinea and Liberia would simply be reduced.
“Nobody from Ebola-rampant countries is invited. Usually the Canton Fair organisers invite officials and buyers from everywhere in Africa, but this year I have not heard any news of officials from my country coming here,” Sultane said. “For this year, Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, the three countries where Ebola is rampant, have not been invited.”
For Guangzhou, which houses the largest African population in Asia, this was simply a standard procedure to prevent Ebola from spreading to other parts of the world, Sultane said, pointing out that similar measures were implemented at a recent international event in Saudi Arabia.
“The safety of people around the world is more important than whether Guineas are happy with how we are treated because of Ebola,” he said.
A spokesperson from the Canton Fair refused to confirm with the South China Morning Post if they had not invited people from Ebola-hit African nations
Sultane said African community leaders in Guangzhou had come up with precautionary measures against Ebola in August, a gesture initiated among themselves.
“We are telling people to take anyone sick to hospital immediately for testing, especially [if] it’s Ebola virus-related symptoms, like fever, diarrhoea,” Sultane said.