Omicron variant prompts cancelled plans for N.B. resident, concerns for travellers

The new omicron COVID-19 variant has prompted a New Brunswick man to cancel his overseas flight, and has a travel agent warning it could cause complications for Canadians already outside the country.

Arun Budhathoki had planned to fly from Fredericton to Nepal to see his wife and two children on Jan. 16.

But after seeing news reports of the restrictions being imposed by countries in the wake of the new omicron variant, he decided to cancel the ticket.

"I was reading the news about the new virus, the new variant... and I thought that anything can happen within a month."

The federal government has already imposed tight travel restrictions on 10 African countries in an effort to slow the spread of the omicron variant, as experts race to learn more about it.

Foreign nationals who have been to those 10 countries in the last 14 days have been barred from entering Canada, while Canadians and permanent residents can enter the country, but must isolate for 14 days upon arrival.

Budhathoki said his choice to cancel his ticket was driven largely by the possibility that something could change while he's outside of Canada, and make it more difficult for him to return.

With just another four months left for him to finish his masters thesis, the University of New Brunswick student said he plans to wait and see what happens.

"So I personally [thought] it's wise to wait for like four more weeks and then decide what I can do."

Aside from restrictions on those arriving from the 10 countries flagged, the federal government announced Wednesday it was requiring that travellers coming in from non-U.S. foreign destinations take a COVID-19 test upon arrival, even if they're vaccinated.

During a news conference Friday afternoon, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said those travellers will either be swabbed by a public health nurse or get a take-home test.

Travellers must isolate either at home or at a hotel until the test result comes back negative, which could take as long as three days to process.

If a passenger has a connecting flight, they get swabbed or collect a take-home test and continue to their final destination.

If they test positive, they must stay in isolation for 14 days.