Canada will require air travelers to submit a negative COVID-19 test to enter the country, officials said Wednesday.
Passengers arriving in Canada by plane will have to take a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test within 72 hours after boarding, which Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc said will probably be in effect within a week, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
Currently, Canada requires those who enter the country quarantine for 14 days, which Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said during a press conference he would not be affected by the new restrictions.
“It’s not an alternative to quarantine,” Blair said, according to CBC, “it’s an extra layer.”
Blair also countered the demands of some to reduce the 14-day quarantine period, saying that “at this time we should only consider the evidence as an additional layer of defense against the disease,” according to Yahoo News. He cited the mandate as “Canada’s most effective line of defense to keep the disease out of Canada.”
Disobedience to the quarantine period can result in up to six months in prison or up to $ 750,000 in fines.
Transport Minister Marc Garneau is expected to reveal more details about the test requirement on Thursday, the network noted. Blair announced that Ottawa was exploring the possibility of installing evidence at the country’s land entry points.
The country has also banned all flights from the UK amid the outbreak of a new strain of COVID-19 that is considered more contagious, although Canada has already confirmed cases of the strain within its borders.
The restrictions will also follow the condemnation of Ontario Prime Minister Doug Ford from his finance minister’s holiday on the French island of St. Louis. Barts during the holidays. Ford called the trip “unacceptable,” as the government is asking people to avoid non-essential travel, The Associated Press reported.