Strict new quarantine and testing measures for travellers arriving in Canada will begin Feb. 22

Strict new quarantine and testing measures for travellers arriving in Canada will begin Feb. 22.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the new measures are necessary to protect Canadians and help stop the spread of COVID-19, especially new variants.

The government had previously announced incoming travellers will have to pay the cost of a 72-hour hotel stay and a COVID-19 test.

More details of how that will work and who will be covered will come later today.

Trudeau says there will be exceptions for some essential workers but says no one should be travelling for any non-essential reason right now.

Those arriving in Canada are already subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine and many must show proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within three days of their arrival.

Federal government has bought an extra 4 million doses of Moderna vaccine

The federal government has bought an extra four-million doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine.

And Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says four-million doses of the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine will be shipped by the end of next month as per its contract.

Trudeau says 10.8-million doses of that vaccine is expected to be shipped from April-to-June.