(Ottawa) As the holiday season dawns, Federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos is warning travelers planning to travel abroad: the measures could be further tightened at the border if the variant Omicron is starting to spread rapidly in Canada, as it is in some countries in Europe.
Mr. Duclos did not go so far as to urge people to abandon their plans to stay abroad. But he was careful to outline in broad outline during a press conference on Friday that the federal government will not hesitate to impose more restrictive measures at the border if the epidemiological situation requires it.
“Canadians who want to travel internationally should be aware that the situation abroad is risky and volatile. They should also know that the return to Canada will likely include obstacles and delays, ”said Minister Duclos, who provided an update on the COVID-19 situation with the chief administrator of the Agence de Public Health of Canada, the DD Theresa Tam.
So far, there are only 87 cases of the Omicron variant in the country. But this new variant is highly transmissible, and according to him, it is only a matter of time before we see community transmission in the country.
“Internationally, the situation is changing very quickly and that is my main message today. […] People who plan to travel in the next few weeks should know that things can change quickly internationally. In Europe, things are getting very complicated in several countries. Some are asking students to stay home because the situation is deteriorating too quickly. In some cases, we invite people to telework when they had started to return to the office, ”summarized Minister Duclos.
“It’s important that people understand that it is when they return home that things can also change quickly. They must expect that it will be much more complicated to travel abroad and also more complicated to come back to the country with the mandatory tests and quarantines that we are in the process of putting in place, ”he said. added.
The DD Tam also echoed Minister Duclos’ comments.
“Things are moving very quickly abroad. If Canadians are planning to travel, they should do so knowingly. There is a foreign alert. When they come back to Canada, people will have to expect delays, restrictions, because we are doing what it takes to protect the health and safety of Canadians. There will also be uncertainties about overseas travel in the coming weeks given the rise and upsurge in cases related to the Omicron variant, ”she said.
To curb the spread of this new variant, the Canadian authorities are stepping up the pace to increase the number of screening tests that all travelers arriving by plane must undergo at the airport, except those from the United States. This measure was announced on November 30.
Currently, 17,000 daily tests are performed at various airports across the country, a 50% increase from the 11,000 daily tests administered two weeks ago. It will take a few more days before reaching the 23,000 daily tests to test all travelers arriving from a foreign destination by plane other than the United States.
Minister Duclos, who spoke with his provincial counterparts this week, is also pleased with the intention of the provinces to use rapid screening tests on a large scale.
“These tests have been largely underused so far. But for the month of December, the provinces want to receive around 35 million. This is roughly five times the average amount of tests used over the past year. This is excellent news, ”said the Minister.
He said the provinces will receive this merchandise in time for the holiday season.