The government of Canada has advised Canadian residents to avoid travel before the holidays for any non-essential reasons. The health minister, Jean-Yves Duclos stated that the advice warning against travel abroad has been reinstated. The health minister said that the government will also be dedicating its efforts towards continued testing capacity at all ports of entry into the country, at a press conference with other ministers.
The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau had a meeting with premiers for a discussion regarding measures to be taken for public health, and that also included travel measures, but no final decision was taken. The Prime Minister states that he met with the Premier in the capacity of Chair of Council of the Federation and that they will meet again as soon as possible to discuss the issue of omicron and ensure that all are working collectively to keep Canadian residents safe as the holiday season approaches.
The Health Minister, after a Cabinet Meeting, hinted that the Canadian government may reinforce the travel advisory that had previously been lifted, urging travelers to avoid any form of non-essential travel outside the country. The main concern is that this can lead to Canadians getting stranded in other countries as this strain of the virus is evolving rapidly, along with the measures that other countries may put in place to tackle it. The travel may also put the residents at risk of falling easy prey to the virus.
The Canadian government had previously put in place an increased number of restrictions on around 10 countries from Africa as early measures to combat the spread of omicron. Foreign nationals who had visited these countries in the 14 days before the ban was not allowed to re-enter Canada.
All the people who are traveling to Canada from anywhere but the United States of America will have to undergo an on-arrival Covid-19 test. They will also be home quarantined until the results of the test are out. For a test coming as negative, the quarantine is lifted, and if not, then the quarantine is extended for another 10 days followed by another Covid-19 test.
The various provinces in Canada have also begun to slowly tighten their travel measures in recent days. The province of Ontario made an announcement stating that the rules in long-term care homes were going to become more strict. Quebec also urged the employers to reinstate work from home until any further notice is given.
The number of Covid-19 cases in Canada has increased to currently around an average of 4,000 per day, compared to how it was 3,000 in recent weeks. The latest count of Omicron cases in Canada currently stands at 256, and all the cases so far reported have been mild or asymptomatic.
