Canada lifts travel ban against 10 African countries, reinstates PCR test requirement for all trips
Posted December 17, 2021 12:05 pm.
Last Updated December 17, 2021 3:28 pm.
Canada has lifted its travel ban against the 10 African countries where the Omicron variant began circulating after it was determined community transmission was happening in several countries around the world.
Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos also announced they would be reinstating the PCR test requirement for all trips of any duration. The test must also be administered in a different country prior to coming to Canada.
The requirement had been lifted for trips less than 72 hours. Duclos said, “This is now is not the time to travel.”
Foreign nationals were barred from entering Canada if they had been to Nigeria, Malawi, Egypt South Africa, Mozambique, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho and Eswatini in the last two weeks. The ban will be lifted early Saturday.
COVID-19 cases have been spiking across the county amid the spread of the Omicron variant. Ontario and Quebec have began to introduce new restrictions as the provinces work to provide booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Close to 350 Omicron cases have been confirmed in Canada and not all are from travel, indicating community spread in several provinces.
Duclos added provinces have requested 35 million rapid COVID-19 tests for the month of December and the federal government will be able to fulfill that. “Our common goal is to protect the safety of our citizens wherever they may be.”
“In order to counteract the most rapidly spreading variant to date, it’s clear we must combine protection from vaccinations with continued best efforts in layering public health measures and individual precautions,” said Chief Public Health of Canada Dr. Teresa Tam.
Dr. Tam said Omicron could inundate the health care system very quickly if it continues at this rate.
“Our collective and individual actions over the coming weeks will determine our fate over the coming months this is true for government and it is also true for all of us citizens. We must all do our part,” said Duclos.
Dr. Tam said as provinces reconsider health measures, she urges residents to reconsider their holiday plans to protect the already strained health care system.
“Please carefully consider and adjust your holidays plans to minimize risk and maximize layers and quality of protection for you and yours,” said Dr. Tam.
