Canada is set to ease its travel and testing rules in less than 48 hours, but the country’s chief public health officer is suggesting the government will throw things into reverse if needed.
The Edmonton Journal and Canadian Press report that Dr. Theresa Tam on Friday (Feb. 25) said that nobody knows what the coronavirus will do next, and that Canada has to be ready to bring back some public health measures if case counts begin to rise sharply again.
Noting that viruses often pick up steam when cool weather arrives, Tam said Canada needs be ready for the fall, “in case we need to up our game again.”
But she also said the goal would be to avoid tough restrictions and instead rely on “less heavy” measures.
Canada is in much better shape now than it was a year ago, as vaccinations increase and the Omicron variant wanes. Several provinces have eased restrictions and eliminated vaccine passports.
The Trudeau government also has relaxed its rules. As of Monday, Feb. 28, fully vaccinated Canadians and visitors to Canada will be able to present a negative rapid antigen test at the border, rather than having to use expensive, PCR or molecular-style tests.
Heavy restrictions aren’t needed right now, but “I don’t think we should be able to discount them entirely,” Tam said.
