All
teams arriving in Equatorial Guinea for the African Nations Cup must travel
through the capital Malabo and have tests for the Ebola virus, the
Confederation of African Football (CAF) said on Wednesday.
Those
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, according to Reuters.
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
demands for the medical check have led Tunisia to cancel plans to have a
warm-up game in neighbouring Gabon.
They
said it would be too taxing on team logistics to travel to Gabon for the match
and then to Malabo for the health checks.
Tunisia
had originally planned to travel straight to the small eastern town of Ebebiyin
where they will be based.
The
Nations Cup kicks off on Saturday and ends on Feb. 8.
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