Passengers other than those from the United States are required to check in upon arrival

All travelers arriving internationally – except from the United States – must now be tested for COVID-19 upon arrival in the country, whether they are double vaccinated or civilians, Ottawa announced Tuesday.

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These will have to isolate themselves until a positive screening result is returned, explained Federal Health and Transport Ministers Jean-Yves Duclos and Omar Algabra, who added new measures to what was announced Friday to combat the spread of the Omicron variant.

The rules do not change for those who are not vaccinated, who are required to remain in custody for 14 days regardless of the first test result upon arrival.

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Mr. Duclos did not rule out the possibility that this new measure would extend across land or air borders to travelers coming from the United States. The next was a meeting with the early provinces in the evening to see “how it can be done”.

New target countries

In addition, the Minister confirmed the inclusion of Egypt, Nigeria and Malawi in the list of African countries affected by border sanctions. As of Friday, the list includes South Africa, Ishwati, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Namibia.

Minister Duclos reiterated that foreigners who cross one of these ten countries will be denied entry within 14 days before their planned arrival in Canada.

Canadians and permanent residents in the same situation can enter Canada, but must remain self-isolated in a designated area, such as a recognized hotel, for example, until a test result is obtained. If the result is negative, these travelers will be able to keep themselves alone at home, but will still have to complete their 14-day quarantine.

The screening test, which must be done 72 hours before arriving in Canada, must be from a country other than the country listed.

The minister warned Canadians that travel rules could change quickly, given the speed at which things are happening in the wake of the new variant.

Stress on the third dose

In another note, Minister Duclos urged the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) to provide the Federal Government with up-to-date guidelines on the “use” of booster doses.

As the Christmas season approaches and the Omicron variant progresses slowly, its purpose is to determine what is the most effective strategy for administering this third dose.

The policy, which requires all passengers on trains and planes in Canada to present proof of vaccination, went into effect on Tuesday. Duclos recalled.

“It was an amazing measure and very timely,” he said.

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