A passenger passes Air Canada planes at Toronto’s Toronto Pearson International Airport.
Photographer: Brent Lewin / Bloomberg
Photographer: Brent Lewin / Bloomberg
Canada is stepping up its response to the virus at the border, requiring all international travelers to test negative for Covid-19 on arrival.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government is planning new rules requiring people entering the country by plane to present evidence of a negative Covid-19 test taken no more than three days before arrival, Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Minister of Public Security announced on Wednesday. Bill Blair conference in Ottawa. Details of the new regulations will be announced after consultations with airlines, they said.
International travelers have already been asked for a quarantine for 14 days after arrival. The test requirement is meant to add another layer of protection at a time when many Canadians would normally travel to warmer destinations in the winter. Public health officials have advised Canadians to travel only for essential reasons, but Blair said he expects many people to ignore the notices.
“We believe there is some effectiveness in a pre-boarding test to add to the very strict quarantine regime we have,” Blair said.
The new requirement comes after revelations that at least one senior public official, Ontario Finance Minister Rod Phillips, left the country to spend his vacation in the Caribbean, despite his government’s warnings against travel. Phillips, who is currently in Saint Barthelemy, apologized on Tuesday for the trip.
“I deeply regret that I traveled for the holidays. It was a mistake and I apologize, “Phillips said in a written statement.
Canada is facing a new wave of virus cases that have caused blockages in major cities in recent weeks. There is also growing concern about new strains of the virus that have emerged in Canada.