Starting Tuesday, everyone entering the Canada will be required once again to produce a pre-arrival negative molecular test result for COVID-19, even if travellers are returning after being away for under 72 hours. However, in a new twist, those tests must be taken outside the country, which promises to effectively kill short-term cross-border travel.
The re-introduction of the measures comes about a month after Canada waived the need for a test for those taking short cross-border trips. At the time, a major complaint was that Canadians could test at home, then travel to the US and back again without testing in the country they visited.
Public health experts also said getting a test during a short trip over the border would be unlikely to identify new cases, even if someone contracted the virus abroad, because the incubation period is longer than 72 hours.
Duclos defended the reinstatement of tests, adding that it will be used in concert with other travel restrictions and warnings to limit the spread of the Omicron variant, such as post-arrival random tests for people who arrive from the United States.
“It’s not a perfect measure, but it is an important one,” Duclos said.
Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam said Omicron may have a shorter incubation period before it would show up on a test, though that is still under investigation.
Her deputy, Dr. Howard Njoo, added that regardless of the testing regime people should think carefully about why they choose to cross the border and the potential risks.
Duclos also defended the ongoing decision not to subject travellers from the US to the strict arrival test and isolation rules that other international travellers face when they come into Canada.
“The situation in the US is currently different from what we see outside of North America,” he said. “Per capita, the US officially has about 10 times fewer Omicron cases than in Canada.”
Still, the government is building up the capacity to do more tests at the land border, he said.
The new measures come as Tam warns that the Omicron variant could overwhelm the health-care system in a “very short period of time” and is urging Canadians to adjust their holiday plans.
Canada needs to slow the rate of spread immediately, she said, adding that Canadians must adjust their holiday plans and obey a federal advisory against non-essential international travel.
Re-iterating the warning from Tam, Duclos said, “We do not want you to be stranded or to be sick abroad. Once you have left the country, once you are stranded, once you are sick, there is little the Canadian government can do to help you.”
Africa
Meanwhile, Canada is also removing a ban on all travellers who have recently passed through 10 African countries, a measure the federal government brought in late last month in response to the emergence of the Omicron variant.
Duclos said this measure has served its purpose and is no longer necessary. The measure was lifted as of Saturday at 11:59 p.m.