The Canadian government is not going to be closing its borders to battle Omicron, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said today.
Speaking at Rideau Cottage in Ottawa, Trudeau said the Omicron variants “is already here.”
“Shutting down the borders at this point would not be an effective measure,” Trudeau said.
The government instead feels its best to try to limit gathering sizes and improve COVID-19 testing, he said.
Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos echoed Trudeau’s comments, saying Canada has “some of the strongest border measures” in the world. He also noted that visitors to Canada must be tested for the coronavirus before they arrive, and that some people flying into Canada also must be tested upon arrival.
Trudeau noted that Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada have the right to come into the country at any time. He also said that the percentage of positive COVID-19 test results at the border is “extremely small.”
As of yesterday, Dec. 21, all travellers coming back into Canada after trips of 72 hours or less to the United States or other international locations will have to take a PCR test in a country other than Canada, before their scheduled departure. The federal government earlier this month announced that all travellers flying into Canada from destinations other than the U.S. would have to be tested upon arrival.
Trudeau today said Ottawa is backing embattled industries, including arts, hospitality and tourism, by broadening its Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit to provide help for workers impacted by capacity limits at restaurants and other workplaces.
The new rules will allow any worker to apply for up to $300 a week if their place of work has been hit with capacity-limiting restrictions of 50% or more.
Trudeau said the federal government is backing embattled industries, including arts, hospitality and tourism.
CTV News reports that the program “was unveiled in mid-October as a refresh to the popular Canada Recovery Benefit. Ottawa has fielded criticism for it, as it was designed for Canadians only in ‘complete’ lockdowns, which no region in the country currently faces.”
Many provinces have slapped capacity limits on bars and restaurants, as well as gyms and other places where members of the public gather. Provincial governments also have set reduced hours and, in the case of both Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland & Labrador, are insisting on quarantine/isolation and regular testing for visitors.
