Canada bans African travel due to an ‘Omicron’ variant scare

Key Takeaways:

• Cases of Omicron Covid Variant in Canada: Canada has identified five instances of the new variant, at least two of which were recently in Nigeria.

Canada banned travelers from Egypt, Nigeria, and Malawi on Tuesday due to concerns about the spread of the new Omicron coronavirus variant, bringing the total 10 number of African countries targeted by Ottawa.

“Foreign nationals who have transited or stayed in these ten countries in the last two weeks cannot enter Canada,” Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said at a press conference.

Also Read: What is happening with Canada’s Huawei decision two years ago?

He also stated that, except in the United States, all air travelers arriving from outside Canada will now be tested for Covid-19 at their point of entry, “whether vaccinated or unvaccinated,” and that those travelers will be isolated until their test results are ready.

The Omicron variant was 1st reported to the World Health Organization less than a week ago after being discovered in southern Africa earlier in November, stoking global fears about a coronavirus pandemic that has killed over 5 million people or devastated economies worldwide.

“The pandemic is far from over,” said Transport Minister Omar Alghabra. “Travel measures are subject to change at any time.”

On Friday, Canada barred all seven southern African countries from entering the country: Botswana, Swaziland, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.

On Sunday, Canada confirmed that it had discovered its first cases of the new Omicron strain in two people who had freshly traveled to Nigeria.

The WHO warned on Tuesday that travel bans would not prevent the spread of the new variant, even though more than 50 countries have implemented similar measures. In Canada, there have been 1,791,902 coronavirus cases and 29,681 deaths.

Source: NDTV News