Canada's Travel Restrictions Need To Be 'Revisited' Says The Country's Top Doctor
Post-arrival tests have found higher positivity rates from some countries in the travel ban.
According to the country's top doctor, Canada's travel restrictions which include entry bans need to be "revisited" and "reexamined."
During an announcement on December 15 about a new advisory against non-essential travel, Dr. Theresa Tam was asked why the travel ban on 10 countries and testing requirements for travellers are still in place when the Omicron variant is already in Canada.
"I think this is a policy that needs to be revisited and that there is an active examination of that situation seeing as this virus is in many countries," Tam said.
She also revealed that the post-arrival tests travellers take when they enter Canada have detected higher positivity rates in certain nations that are included in the 10 country ban the federal government has implemented.
"But I think it is very important for us to reexamine that policy," the country's top doctor added.
As per travel measures announced on November 30, foreign nationals who have been in Nigeria, Malawi, Egypt, South Africa, Mozambique, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho and Eswatini in the 14 days prior to travel are not allowed to enter Canada.
Canadian citizens and permanent residents who've been to those countries have to do enhanced testing and quarantine even if they're fully vaccinated.
All air travellers entering Canada from any country other than the U.S. need to take a COVID-19 test at the Canadian airport they land in regardless of what their vaccination status is.
Also, as of December 15, the federal government is advising Canadians to avoid all non-essential international travel outside of the country because they could contract the virus or get stranded abroad.