Public health authorities in South Africa & Nigeria have confirmed that a new COVID-19 variant of concern has been detected. Canada maintains it’s efforts to update border measures as the Minister of Transport, Omar Alghabra explains;
Canada will continue to assess the evolving situation and adjust border measures as required.
The Honourable Omar Alghabra Canadian Transport Minister
This variant – named Omicron by the World Health Organization has also been detected in other countries. At this time, the variant has not been detected in Canada. However, Canada is implementing temporary travel restrictions as explained by Jean- Yves.
“We are taking quick action at our borders to mitigate travel related importations of the Omicron variant. While our monitoring systems are working well, we now know that the Omicron variant is present in Canada. We need to remain vigilant in our own actions. Vaccination and simple public health measures such as masking and limiting the number of persons we interact with slow down transmission, reduce hospitalization and death, and protect our health systems from being overwhelmed. We must all continue to do our part to protect all people in Canada.”
The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos Canadian
Minister of Health
Canadian citizens, those registered under the Indian Act, and permanent residents, who have been in some African regions within the previous 14 days, including South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Malawi, Eswatini, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Namibia must follow new pre-entry testing before continuing their journey to Canada, and post-arrival requirements.
Effective tomorrow, foreign nationals who have been in any of these countries within the previous 14 days will not be permitted entry into Canada.
However the IRCC recently announced an extension for international students pursuing their studies digitally. You can now count the online study time from March 2020 to August 31, 2022 and be eligible for a Post-Graduation Work Permit.
Visit the official website of the Canadian government for more information.
Magnum DIgest
