Ottawa tightens screws on US border

Ottawa | The bad news for shopping enthusiasts in the United States and those hoping to visit loved ones there for the holidays is that the federal government will again have to test negative PCR when travelers who travel there for less than 72 hours return.

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The measure comes into effect on Tuesday, less than a month after it was canceled, from the end of November. So we are trying to discourage travel and meetings during the holiday season to counter the rapid progress of the Omicron variant.

Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos has called on Canadians to reduce the number of contacts to at least three to control the level of transmission.

Canadians who have not yet done so “need to adjust their vacation plans,” Drs.^Back Theresa Tom, chief executive of the Public Health Agency.

“Stay in touch only with members of your household,” says Dr.^R Howard Nzu, Agency Chief Deputy Administrator.

Small incubator

Based on basic data, Theresa Tom says the incubation time for Omicron is shorter than that of its cousins.

That is why Ottawa is again demanding early arrival testing for short stays, although it is not guaranteed to detect everyone with the virus.

The variant already exists in 11 of the 13 provinces and territories of the country, indicating Federal Public Health, which currently lists about 350 cases. Most people affected have mild symptoms or are asymptomatic.

But while this variant is less severe, it is highly contagious, with officials insisting it could put the health system and its professionals to the test.

Like a fire

This variant is now available in more than 70 countries. Ottawa is effectively lifting restrictions that initially only applied to the 10 African countries on the blacklist. Travelers from these countries are treated like everyone else from Sunday.

The federal government still believes it can test all arriving passengers at all airports in the country, which is not yet the case. Minister Duclos assured that the screening capacity would almost double between November 30 and December 16.