OTTAWA, Canada — Canada plans to quickly require folks flying from China, Hong Kong and Macao to check unfavorable for COVID-19 earlier than leaving for Canada.
The requirement will apply to all air vacationers aged two and older from the three nations and can start on Jan. 5, the federal authorities mentioned in a information launch Saturday.
“These deliberate well being measures will apply to air vacationers, no matter nationality and vaccination standing,” the discharge mentioned. “They’re short-term measures, in place for 30 days, that shall be reassessed as extra information and proof turns into accessible.”
The US introduced on Wednesday it might require all vacationers from China to point out a unfavorable COVID-19 check end result earlier than flying to the nation as Beijing’s speedy easing of COVID-19 restrictions results in a surge in instances.
The Canadian authorities mentioned its new testing measure is “in response to the surge of COVID-19 within the Individuals’s Republic of China and given the restricted epidemiological and viral genomic sequence information accessible on these instances.”
Individuals might want to present a unfavorable COVID-19 check end result to the airline, taken not more than two days earlier than their departure, earlier than boarding a flight to Canada.
The check might be both molecular, resembling a PCR check, or an antigen check from a telehealth service or an accredited laboratory or testing supplier, the discharge mentioned.
Passengers who examined constructive greater than 10 days earlier than their flight leaves, however no more than 90 days, can present the airline with proof of their constructive check as a substitute.
“Because the begin, our Authorities has taken the mandatory steps to maintain Canadians protected within the face of the COVID-19 pandemic,” federal well being minister Jean-Yves Duclos mentioned in an announcement. “Our actions proceed to be guided by prudence and we won’t hesitate to regulate measures to guard the well being and security of Canadians.”
