The new Omicron variant's arrival has scared people, and they have become more alert than before. Even the Canadian government has swung into action. The government is restricting travel from several African nations and is seriously considering boosters. Read on to know more about how the new Omicron variant is expected to affect travel.
In a press
conference held on Tuesday, Jean-Yves Duclos, our Foreign Health Minister,
stated that foreign nationals from Egypt, Nigeria, and Malawi who have been to
those nations in the last two weeks wouldn't be allowed to enter Canada. It is
done in addition to seven other countries that the Canadian government barred
on Friday. The list includes South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe,
Eswatini, and Lesotho.
Permanent
residents and Canadians, and people who have a right to return to Canada and
have transited through the said countries over the last two weeks, will need to
be tested at the airport and quarantined until they get the tests' results,
said Duclos.
Transport
Minister Omar Alghbara highlighted that the testing requirement for Canadians
and permanent residents would even apply to fully vaccinated people. The
COVID-19 tests that were conducted in the 10 nations will not be accepted, he
said. Alghbara added, "Canadians will need to stop and obtain valid
results in a third country before entering Canada."
The testing
requirement will also be expanded to include anyone coming to Canada from a
foreign nation except for the USA. The people who arrive from any country
except the US will need to be tested at the airport and need to isolate and
wait until their test results are known, said Duclos. This rule is also applicable
for non-vaccinated travelers.
Speaking
about the cost factor, Duclos said that the federal government would cover the
costs of the tests. The same rule applies to the pre-departure test a person must
take before leaving Canada.
Duclos also
said, "We are taking quick action at our borders to mitigate travel-related
importations of the Omicron variant.
Time for
a Booster?
As Omicron
is highly mutated, the Canadian government has asked the National Advisory
Committee on Immunization or NACI to share an update regarding its directive on
booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine.
As of
November 30, 2021, six cases of the Omicron variant have been confirmed in the
country.
Tracking
the Variants
The
Canadian government has already taken steps to boost its capacity to track and
find different variants of concern. In February 2021, the government of Canada
invested $53 million in an integrated Variants of Concern Strategy.
The
Canadian government is also working with provinces and territories along with
the Canadian Institutes of Health Research on surveillance, sequencing, and
scientific efforts and the Canadian COVID Genomics Network to detect known and
potentially emerging variants of the deadly virus variants of concern. Read
about the other measures here.
Even US
President Joe Biden has tightened the travel rules. Know about the steps he has
taken over here.
Sources:
https://globalnews.ca/news/8414055/canada-travel-ban-boosters-omicron-covid-variant/
https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/feds-reinstating-foreign-air-travel-testing-reviewing-booster-strategy-in-light-of-omicron-1.5687538
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/news/2021/11/government-of-canada-introduces-additional-measures-to-address-covid-19-omicron-variant-of-concern.html