Canada has joined a growing group of countries banning the entry of foreign nationals if they have travelled through southern Africa. The moves came quickly following the discovery of a disturbing new COVID-19 variant.
Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos announced this afternoon that the federal government will impose several measures in an effort to limit the spread of the new variant, although little is yet known about its potential to worsen the global pandemic.
Here are the new border restrictions:
- Foreign nationals who have travelled through South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini in the past 14 days won't be allowed into the country.
- People who've arrived in Canada in the last 14 days who have travelled through those countries will have to quarantine, get tested for the virus and stay in isolation until receiving a negative result.
- Canadian citizens and permanent residents coming to Canada will be tested on arrival. They must quarantine until a negative determination.
- Global Affairs Canada will issue an advisory against travel to southern Africa, and Canadians returning from that region who travel through another country must be tested in that country before being allowed to return.
The new variant, dubbed Omicron, was named as a variant of concern by the World Health Organization on Friday. Great Britain, the U.S., India, Japan, Israel and European Union nations are among those that have since imposed travel bans on several southern African nations. It is unclear exactly where the variant originated.
Scientists in South Africa who have studied the mutation way that it has an unusually large number of mutations, which is concerning in terms of its potential ability to get past vaccines, but initial data is considered preliminary.
The WHO says it will take weeks to determine how transmissible the variant is and how effective current vaccines are against it.
It's not clear if the WHO has changed its position, but earlier on Friday the health organization warned against new travel restrictions.
"At this point, implementing travel measures is being cautioned against," WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier told a UN briefing. "The WHO recommends that countries continue to apply a risk-based and scientific approach when implementing (travel restrictions)."
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