Travel restrictions and Omicron: What’s changing in Canada, U.S.
Global News
The U.S. joined Canada on Thursday in introducing revamped travel restrictions in an effort to curb the spread of the Omicron variant. Here's what we know.
The United States on Thursday became the latest country to announce travel requirement changes in an effort to curb the spread of the new Omicron COVID-19 variant — which will affect Canadian travellers.
The changes, announced by President Joe Biden, include a new testing requirement for travellers flying into the U.S.
The move comes days after a handful of countries, including Canada, quickly clamped down on travel and imposed bans on African countries, as fears around the new variant of concern grew.
Here are the latest travel rules imposed by both the U.S. and Canada.
Biden’s announcement Thursday includes a requirement for all air travellers entering the U.S. — including those from Canada — to be tested for COVID-19 within 24 hours of boarding their flight, regardless of their vaccination status.
Previously, people who were fully vaccinated would have been able to present a negative test taken with 72 hours of boarding a flight to the U.S.
“It doesn’t include shutdowns or lockdowns, but widespread vaccinations and boosters and testing and a lot more,” said Biden.
The president however made no mention of any changes to current land border travel requirements between Canada and the U.S.