In an effort to curb the continuing coronavirus crisis, Canada will now require all air passengers to obtain a negative COVID-19 test three days before arriving in the country.
Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said the presence of Canada Border Service Agency agents will also be increased at border crossings and airports to ensure Canadians understand the newly tightened rules.
The test must be a PCR test — considered the gold-standard of COVID-19 tests. These tests need to be processed in a lab and usually take at least a day to provide results.
The new rules are expected to come into play in the next few days.
Blair emphasized that this new rule does not replace the 14-day quarantine period.
“We strongly advise against travel unless absolutely necessary,” Blair said at a news conference in Ottawa on Wednesday.
“If you must travel, understand that upon your return, you must follow guidelines and quarantine for 14 days. It’s not just the right thing to do — it’s the law. And if you don’t, it can result in serious consequences.”
Violation of quarantine laws can result in up to six months in jail or up to $750,000 in fines, Blair said.
“But more importantly you will put your family, your friends, and your community at risk,” he continued.
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“We know that some Canadians have traveled out of the country for non-essential purposes, despite the clear public health guidance asking them not to do so. These Canadians, of course, have a right to return home. But when they come back they have a responsibility, both legal and moral, to quarantine.”
Blair said it will be up to the airline to make sure travellers provide the negative test before they board a plane headed to Canada.
Vaccine update
The additional layer of protection comes on the heels of rising case counts across the country.
The pandemic has tightened its grip on many provinces as winter has settled in, with the country’s total number of infections rising above 565,000 as of Tuesday. More than 15,000 people have died since the historic health emergency first took hold.
The climbing cases and hospitalizations come in contrast with the news of a second coronavirus vaccine landing in Canada.
The vaccine by U.S. biotechnology company Moderna has started to make its way across the country, mere weeks after the Pfizer vaccine.
However, some provinces are facing criticism over the speed of their rollout plans. Ontario has been grilled over its decision to scale down vaccination operations over the holidays. Retired general Rick Hillier, who is leading Ontario’s vaccine program, has said the decision to close clinics over Christmas Day and Boxing Day was the wrong one.
In Alberta, Premier Jason Kenney has acknowledged his government overestimated how quickly it would be able to get shots into people’s arms. The province initially expected to have 29,000 people vaccinated by the end of the year, but only about 7,000 health-care workers had received their shots as of Dec. 29.
At least 72,400 doses of the Pfizer-BioTech vaccine had been administered across Canada as of Wednesday morning, according to a vaccine tracker run by a University of Saskatchewan student based on official updates from each province.
COVID-19 variant in Canada
A new variant of the illness is also drawing concern in Canada.
The variant, which is believed to be more contagious, was first identified in the U.K. but has since spread to four provinces. In recent days, Ontario reported three cases of the variant, Alberta reported one, British Columbia reported one and Quebec one.
Dr. Howard Njoo, Canada’s deputy chief health officer, said early information points to this variant being more transmissible. He said there is no data at this time to suggest it’s more lethal, or that the vaccine would be rendered ineffective against it.
Flights from the U.K. to Canada have been suspended since Dec. 21 in an effort to curb further travel-related spread. It is expected to remain in place until at least Jan. 6, 2021.
Njoo stressed the importance of the mandatory quarantine in the wake of the discovery of this new variant.
“All people identified in Canada with the variant were fortunately already in quarantine,” Njoo said.
“Quarantine has proven to be a protective measure that works.”
— with files from Global News’ Hannah Jackson and The Canadian Press
© 2020 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
