Canada bans entry from more countries as Omicron cases detected. Full list here

Canada has announced a ban on foreign nationals from three more countries because of concerns with the omicron COVID-19 variant. Canada is banning all foreigners who have traveled through Nigeria, Malawi and Egypt. On November 26, 2021, the World Health Organization classified Omicron as variant of concern, reports AP.

“Since then it has been found in a number of countries and regions, including the confirmation of several travel-related cases in Canada. That is why Canada said it has announced additional border measures to reduce the risk of the importation and transmission of COVID-19 and its variants in Canada related to international travel.

Based on data from ongoing surveillance efforts and the latest public health advice, the Government of Canada said it is expanding the list of countries with entry prohibitions originally announced on November 26, 2021, to include Egypt, Nigeria and Malawi. Effective December 1, foreign nationals who have been in any of these countries within the previous 14 days will not be permitted entry into Canada:

Botswana

Egypt;

Eswatini;

Lesotho;

Malawi;

Mozambique;

Namibia;

Nigeria;

South Africa; and

Zimbabwe.

Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said: “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 province of Ontario announced its first cases on Sunday and Quebec reported its first case on Monday.

The provinces of British Columbia and Alberta also confirmed their first cases of omicron in individuals who traveled from Nigeria. Dr Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, said the Alberta case traveled through the Netherlands and is asymptomatic.