(Ottawa) Following the discovery of a new variant of Omigran by South Africa last week, the federal government will add Nigeria, Malawi and Egypt to the list of seven countries already targeted by fortified border operations.
Therefore, foreigners who have traveled to these three countries for the past 14 days will no longer be allowed to enter Canada, according to a new report by Federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Douglas on Tuesday. Press.
As of Friday, foreigners who have traveled to South Africa, Ezra, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Namibia for the past two weeks can no longer return to Canada.
The measures were announced last Friday. All travelers arriving in Canada from these countries over the past two weeks, whether Canadian or foreign, must be isolated and tested for COVID-19. They have to wait for the negative result of this test before they leave the isolation period.
In the case of Canadians and permanent residents returning to Canada, they must be tested as soon as they arrive at the Canadian border and wait to see if their test results are negative. They should be subjected to two weeks of isolation and re-tested on the eighth day.
The State Department has issued an advice that strongly encourages all Canadians to travel to this part of the world. Finally, Canadians returning home after staying in South Africa must be screened at their last stop before returning home.
According to our information, Minister Douglas may announce new measures at the border to prevent the spread of this new variant, which is considered a concern by the World Health Organization. One of the options under consideration is to impose a mandatory check on all travelers to Canada, including Canadians, whether by air or land.
The Union Cabinet was to evaluate these options on Tuesday morning. The announcement could be made later on Tuesday.
Prior to the meeting, Minister Douglas was cautious as experts were still evaluating the new variant.
“What needs to be done to learn more about the diversity of this variation and all the possible implications of both the spread, the infection and the role of vaccines in this whole environment,” he told reporters.
