(Ottawa) Federal and provincial conservatives are urging Ottawa to take the necessary measures to prevent transmission of the new variant spotted in South Africa.
Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole is calling for the federal government to ban non-essential travel to or from countries on the African continent that are affected – South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini.
Mr. O’Toole also wants a mandatory screening of all passengers and a mandatory quarantine of all travelers from affected countries, regardless of their vaccination status.
The Conservative premiers of Alberta and Ontario quickly echoed Mr. O’Toole’s comments.
In similar statements, Jason Kenney and Doug Ford called on the federal government not to make the same “mistakes” as at the start of the pandemic by letting the Alpha and Delta variants enter the country.
There are currently no direct flights between Canada and the African continent.
The Public Health Agency of Canada was scheduled to hold a press conference Friday morning; it was postponed until later in the day at a time still unknown.