Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Tuesday that anyone arriving by land in Canada from Feb. 15 must show a negative Covid-19 test within 72 hours before entering the country. Non-essential travelers entering Canada through a land border without a negative test can be fined up to 3,000 Canadian dollars ($ 2,362).
“You can’t stop someone standing at a land border crossing from entering Canada because they’re technically already on Canadian soil when they talk to that customs officer,” Trudeau said at a news conference in Ottawa on Tuesday.
“Therefore, in cases of no test to show a heavy fine, we can impose a fine and demands and have a quick and complete follow-up to ensure that they are tested, that they are properly quarantined, that they do not jeopardize the safety of other Canadians by returning home without a clear, negative test, ”he said.
Only Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and essential travelers currently have access to Canada, although there have been some exceptions on compassionate grounds.
Concerns about variants led to travel restrictions
Canadian public health officials say that while new daily cases of Covid-19 continue to fall and hospital admissions have declined by about 15% in the past week, new variants and a slow rollout of vaccines could mean a resurgence of the virus is still possible.
“I think we are all concerned about the arrival of new variants and the impact that could have, even though we are working hard to get everyone vaccinated as soon as possible. on the spread of Covid-19 and on the impact of the vaccines, ”said Trudeau, adding that Canada is further restricting travel.
Canada has only discovered a few hundred cases of new Covid-19 variants, but public health officials already say there is evidence that the community is spread in at least three provinces.
Most Canadian provinces have begun to phase out the Covid-19 restrictions in recent weeks, with many students returning to classes in person and the reopening of some non-essential businesses.
But public health officials remain concerned about the spread of Covid-19 variants and the pace of reopenings.
“The risk is very real,” said Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer.
“Therefore, we must maintain the strictest vigilance in our public health measures and individual practices,” she said. “This will help prevent these variants from re-accelerating the epidemic and making it much more difficult to control.”