12.95°C Vancouver

Nov 26, 2021 10:34 PM - The Canadian Press

Variant prompts Canada to bring in ban on travellers from southern Africa

Share On
variant-prompts-canada-to-bring-in-ban-on-travellers-from-southern-africa
Canada has banned visitors from southern Africa after the discovery of a new variant of concern in the region. (Photo - Omar Alghabra/Twitter)

Canada has banned visitors from southern Africa after the discovery of a new variant of concern in the region.

The new variant, deemed Omicron, first emerged in South Africa and coincided with a steep rise in the number of COVID-19 cases in that region in recent weeks, according to the World Health Organization.

The ban will apply to foreign nationals who transited through a list of seven countries in the last 14 days, including South Africa, Mozambique, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Namibia and eSwatini.

Those already in Canada who recently travelled through the region will need to quarantine, and be tested for COVID-19.

Global Affairs is also issuing an advisory to discourage non-essential travel to South Africa and neighbouring countries.

Canadian citizens and permanent residents arriving home from the region must get a COVID-19 test before they return, and will need to quarantine at a designated hotel until their entry test proves negative.

After that they will be able to isolate at home until they test negative ten days after arrival.

Currently there are no direct flights from southern Africa to Canada.

``We know very little about this variant right now,'' Canada's chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, said at a briefing Friday.

The mutations that have been detected show the potential for greater transmissibility, she said, and she won't be surprised to see cases crop up in Canada.

``This variant has a large number of mutations, some of which are concerning,'' the WHO wrote in a statement Friday.

``Preliminary evidence suggests an increased risk of reinfection with this variant, as compared to other (variants of concern.)''

Opposition parties and provincial premiers have called for strict border measures to prevent cases of the potentially dangerous new variant from being imported into Canada.

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole had called on the Canadian government to issue travel advisories, banning non-essential travel to and from the region earlier Friday morning.

``With reports of the spread of a new COVID-19 variant, we have a small window of opportunity to act, and we must move now,'' O'Toole said in a statement.

The party was critical when the government delayed closing Canada's borders at the outset of the pandemic in 2020.

The premiers for Alberta, Ontario and Quebec also called for all travellers originating from those countries to be banned from Canada until more is known about the variant.

Researchers are already working to learn more about the effects of this new variant, according to WHO's COVID-19 technical lead Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove.

``Researchers are getting together to understand where these mutations are, and what that potentially may mean for our diagnostics or therapeutics in our vaccines,'' she said at a briefing Thursday.

Latest news

search-underway-for-b-c-woman-missing-after-empty-boat-washes-ashore
BCMay 16, 2025

Search underway for B.C. woman missing after empty boat washes ashore

Police in Nanaimo, B.C., say a search is underway both at sea and on land after a woman's sailboat was discovered washed ashore and empty. Mounties say 34 year old Amber Nitchman is the registered owner of the 10-metre white sailboat that was found Thursday near Bayshore Drive and Hammond Bay Road off Nanaimo.No one was on the boat, and Nanaimo Search and Rescue, the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Center, the coast guard and Nanaimo RCMP have taken part in a ground and water search for the woman.Police are asking that anyone with information on the case contact investigators immediately.The RCMP h
vaisakhi-nagar-kirtan-to-be-held-tomorrow-in-prince-george
BCMay 16, 2025

Vaisakhi Nagar Kirtan to be held tomorrow in Prince George

The vaisakhi Nagar Kirtan is being held tomorrow in Prince George, the city's RCMP said in a statement that they are also very excited to participate in this year's annual Sikh vaisakhi parade. Constable Praban Basra said that our relationship with the Sikh community is strong and very important. He said that many of our police officers belong to this community. He said that 7 officers from the Prince George RCMP will participate in this Nagar Kirtan dedicated to vaisakhi. At the same time, the organizers have expressed the hope that hundreds of people from northern BC will join the Nagar
porter-airlines-launches-new-direct-flight-between-ottawa-and-victoria
BCMay 16, 2025

Porter Airlines launches new direct flight between Ottawa and Victoria

B.C.’s capital city of Victoria is now offering direct flights to Ottawa. Porter Airlines has launched a new non-stop flight between Victoria International Airport and Ottawa International Airport. The airline said the flight will depart Victoria at 11:50 a.m. The flight will initially operate four times a week, but the airline plans to operate the flight daily during the peak summer season, which begins June 16. Porter is using a 132-seater aircraft for these flights. Porter’s flight from Ottawa yesterday carried 130 passengers, according to Elizabeth Brown, president and CEO of the Vic
ransom-demanded-from-murdered-harjit-singh-dhadda-family-reveals
CanadaMay 16, 2025

Ransom demanded from murdered Harjit Singh Dhadda, family reveals

Ransom was demanded from Punjabi businessman Harjit Singh Dhadda, who was shot dead in broad daylight in Mississauga on Wednesday. This has been revealed by his family. His daughter Gurleen Dhadda said that a ransom of $500,000 was demanded from her father but he refused. Gurleen said that her father said that he would not give a single penny. At the same time, Peel police did not confirm this claim but the victim's family says that they had reported the threats to the police and the police did not take it seriously. Gurleen said that my father was shot dead in broad daylight because our g
canada-post-report-recommends-phasing-out-daily-door-to-door-mail-delivery
CanadaMay 16, 2025

Canada Post report recommends phasing out daily door-to-door mail delivery

The Industrial Inquiry Commission report on the labour dispute at Canada Post recommends phasing out daily door-to-door letter mail delivery for individual addresses, while daily delivery to businesses should be maintained. It also says the moratoriums on rural post office closures and community mailbox conversions should be lifted.

Related News