Incoming air travellers from all countries except the United States will be required to take COVID-19 tests when arriving in Canada, the federal government announced today.
The tests will be required of all travellers, regardless of their vaccination status, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said today. The requirement will also apply to Canadian citizens and permanent residents.
Incoming travellers will have to self-isolate until they receive the results of the test. Many Canadians will be able to quarantine at home while waiting for test results, but people without a safe place to isolate will be sent to a quarantine hotel. In addition, Canadian citizens and permanent residents coming back from one of the 10 African countries with enhanced border measures will need to quarantine in hotels.
The new testing requirement will go into effect “as quickly and as much as possible over the next few days.”
The new measure is part of Canada’s rapidly evolving strategy to contain the spread of the omicron variant of the novel coronavirus.
The government already had banned travellers from ten nations in southern Africa. Foreign nationals who have travelled to these countries in the last two weeks are not permitted to enter Canada. Canadian citizens and permanent residents will need to quarantine and be tested, including those who are fully vaccinated.
The 10 countries with enhanced travel restrictions due to Omicron include:
- South Africa
- Eswatini
- Lesotho
- Botswana
- Zimbabwe
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Egypt
- Malawi
- Nigeria
More info @CBC
