Nations worldwide continue to update COVID-19 restrictions for travelers, and Canada is no exception. Recently, Canadian authorities have imposed stringent rules upon visitors to the country.
For months, the nation has required visitors to provide results of negative PCR tests taken within 72 hours before arrival. Additionally, visitors had to provide proof of full vaccination.
Now, travelers will also have to get tested upon arriving in Canada. Self-quarantine will be required until results come back negative, potentially delaying people’s plans for days.
The new entry requirements apply to native Canadians who’ve traveled abroad.
Citizens of Canada who return from nations on the country’s travel ban list will face even stricter requirements, including two-week quarantines upon arrival.
Omicron, a new COVID-19 variant, is the impetus for these changes. However, the World Health Organization has stated that there is currently no evidence that Omicron is more severe than other strains.
Canadian authorities have made an exception for visitors from the United States, which comes as a surprise to some. Though the U.S. doesn’t currently have any recorded cases of the Omicron variant, the country is still facing relatively high COVID-19 rates.
Many Canadians question the wisdom of imposing additional hurdles for entrance to the country. Testing almost all people arriving in Canada will further slow processes in already-congested airports.
Canada’s COVID-19 rates spiked in early April, but weekly deaths peaked at 163 in January. As of late November, that number is down to 20.