So much for last-minute Christmas shopping in the States this year. The Trudeau government today said it’s reintroducing the requirement for a pre-arrival negative PCR-style COVID-19 test for all travellers coming into Canada, even if they’re Canadians who’ve only been gone a short while. The new policy comes into place next Tuesday, December 21. Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos made the announcement against the backdrop of rising Omicron-variant numbers across the country. He also said Canada is ending its much-criticized ban against travel to and from several African countries. When he unveiled the Canadian government’s new travel advisory on Wednesday, Duclos Read more
South Africa
New testing requirements for most travellers coming into Canada will have a devastating effect on Canada’s tourism industry at a time when they’re just starting to recover from the pandemic, critics charge. “This is indeed another blow as the Canadian tourism sector was slowly seeing more action,” said Frederic Dimanche, director of the Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Ryerson University in Toronto. “This will of course lead to a significant decline in visitor arrivals. International visitors will not be willing to go through this.” The Trudeau government on Tuesday said anyone coming into Canada from a Read more
Multiple news outlets report that the Canadian government is banning the entry of foreign travellers into Canada if they’ve been visited South Africa. Citing concerns over the new omicron variant of COVID-19, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos today announced Friday that Ottawa will impose five measures in an effort to limit the spread of the new variant. According to Global News, “foreign nationals who have travelled through several south African countries in the past 14 days won’t be allowed into the country, he said. Those nations include South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini. “All those who’ve arrived in Read more
WATERLOO REGION, ONTARIO – A lazy canoe ride down one of Canada’s most historic rivers. One of the best meals I’ve had anywhere. A nice, new hotel. A marvellous exhibit on the life of Nelson Mandela. And my first trip to beautiful St. Jacobs. Waterloo Region is only an hour from Toronto Pearson Airport, but it feels like another world. I recently spent a day and-a-bit in the area at the request of Explore Waterloo Region, checking out some natural attractions and taking in some of the sights, all in a respectful and socially-distanced fashion. My wife and I began Read more
