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 Read more
travel bans
The Trudeau government is still considering a ban on non-essential travel to Canada by foreign nationals, the Toronto Star is reporting. A proposal to shut Canada’s borders to non-essential travellers was one of four options the Trudeau cabinet considered Tuesday as it grappled with the growth of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, reporter Tonda MacCharles said. The idea met with opposition from some Cabinet members and from some provincial premiers. But a source told the Star it’s still under consideration. Trudeau mentioned the idea in his Tuesday Cabinet meeting, and then posed that and other possible moves in his Tuesday night Read more
WestJet says the travel warning issued by the Canadian government on Wednesday is not based on science and could create holiday season chaos. “The WestJet Group today is expressing its strong opposition to the travel advisory issued by the Government of Canada,” the Calgary-based company said in a statement. “The targeted advice outlined today is not based on science and data and significantly undermines aviation’s proven safety record in response to COVID-19. “These measures are a setback in Canada’s progress and its successful transition from relying on blanket advisories and policies.” The Justin Trudeau government on Wednesday announced a four-week advisory Read more
Travel groups from across the globe are calling on government leaders around the world to provide dedicated financial support for travel reliant businesses and to lift travel bans as quickly as possible. The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA), Association of South African Travel Agencies (ASATA), Association of Canadian Travel Agencies (ACTA), Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), European Travel Agents’ and Tour Operators’ Associations (ECTAA) and World Travel Agents Associations Alliance (WTAAA), collectively representing the hundreds of thousands of people who work at travel agencies and related businesses around the world, today (December 13) called on government leaders globally Read more
Will Canada bring in mandatory on-arrival testing for travellers? Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appeared to raise the possibility today in a brief scrum with reporters. Speaking prior to a Cabinet meeting in Ottawa, Trudeau said his government is watching the Omicron variant “very, very closely.” “We know that even though Canada has very strong border measures now — we need vaccinations to come to Canada, we need pre-departure tests, we need testing on arrival — there may be more we need to do and we’ll be looking at it very carefully,” Trudeau said. It wasn’t immediately clear if Trudeau was Read more
