Six relatives of Justin Trudeau, three employees and three members of his security team, have been diagnosed positive with COVID-19. Mr. Trudeau, who advocates extreme caution, himself carried out several rapid tests which came back negative.
• Read also: Trudeau press briefing: Ottawa expands eligibility of certain benefits to respond to Omicron
Thus, the Prime Minister indicated that he will not make a “party or a gathering” for Christmas, even if he has not been instructed to isolate himself at this stage.
“I know it’s going to be difficult for a lot of families like ours to come together with just the closest, but that’s what we need to do. We will have times in the spring and summer to get together if and only if we are careful during this holiday season, ”said Mr. Trudeau.
The press conference, which was attended by key cabinet and federal public health officials on Wednesday, would recall the worst moments of the pandemic: all participants were in virtual mode, including questions from journalists, formulated over the phone only.
No border closures
Ottawa has no plans to close the borders despite the surge in cases around the world propelled by Omicron.
Given the already widespread community transmission, “closing the borders at this point wouldn’t add much to a lot of disruption,” Trudeau said.
Jean-Yves Duclos, Federal Minister of Health, recalled that the borders already include various “layers of protection”, such as compulsory tests for all before arrival and after arrival in the country.
Remember that Ottawa has removed entry restrictions for the ten African countries which quickly found themselves on a red list when the new Omicron variant was discovered.
More rapid tests to come
Mr. Trudeau and Mr. Duclos have indicated that millions more rapid tests will be sent to the provinces in the coming weeks and at the start of the year.
In December alone, Ottawa believes it can reach a peak of 35 million rapid tests distributed across the country.