A traveler walks past Air Canada planes at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Toronto.
Photographer: Brent Lewin / Bloomberg
Photographer: Brent Lewin / Bloomberg
Canada is ramping up its virus response at the border by requiring all international travelers to submit a negative Covid-19 test upon arrival.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government is planning new rules requiring people entering the country by air to show evidence of a negative Covid-19 test taken no more than three days before arrival, Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc said. Public Security Bill Blair announced on Wednesday during a news report. conference in Ottawa. Details of the new regulations will be disclosed after consultation with airlines, they said.
International travelers had to be quarantined as early as 14 days after arrival. The testing requirement is intended to add an extra layer of protection at a time when many Canadians normally travel to warmer destinations in winter. Public health officials have advised Canadians to travel alone for essential reasons, but Blair said he expected many people to ignore the advice.
“We believe that a pre-boarding test has some efficacy in addition to the very strict quarantine regimen we have,” said Blair.
The new demand comes after revelations that at least one top official, Ontario Treasury Secretary Rod Phillips, had left the country to vacation in the Caribbean, despite his own government’s warnings against travel. Phillips, who is currently in Saint Barthelemy, apologized for the trip on Tuesday.
“I deeply regret traveling while on vacation. It was a mistake, and I apologize, ”Phillips said in a written statement.
Canada is grappling with a new wave of virus cases that have led to lockdowns in major cities in the country in recent weeks. There is also growing unease about new strains of the virus that have emerged in Canada.