Canada will require air travelers to take a negative COVID-19 test to enter the country, officials said Wednesday.
Travelers coming to Canada by plane will need to receive a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test within 72 hours of boarding, which Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc said will likely be in place by a week, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
Currently, Canada requires that those who enter the country be quarantined for 14 days, which Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said at a news conference that he would not be affected by the new restrictions.
“This is not an alternative to quarantine,” Blair said. “It’s an extra layer.”
Blair also countered calls by some to reduce the 14-day quarantine period, saying “at the moment we should only consider testing as an additional layer of defense against the disease,” he said. Yahoo News. He cited the mandate as “Canada’s most effective line of defense for keeping the disease out of Canada.”
Failure to comply with the quarantine period could result in imprisonment of up to six months or fines of up to $ 750,000.
Transport Minister Marc Garneau is expected to reveal more details about the testing requirement on Thursday, the network said. Blair said Ottawa was exploring testing at points of entry.
The country has also banned all flights from the UK amid a new COVID-19 strain deemed to be more contagious, although Canada has already confirmed cases of strain within its borders.
The restrictions will also follow the conviction of Ontario Prime Minister Doug Ford for his finance minister’s holiday on the French island of St. Barts during the holidays. Ford called the trip “unacceptable” because the government is asking people to avoid non-essential travel, the Associated Press reported.