Canada reintroducing PCR tests for travel abroad amid Omicron spike

The federal government is beefing up its travel restrictions as Omicron begins to take hold across the country.

Federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos announced Friday that Canada is reintroducing the pre-arrival PCR test requirement for all travellers.

Beginning Tuesday, all travellers coming back into Canada, no matter the duration of the trip, will have to take a PCR test in a country other than Canada before their scheduled departure.

“I will say again: Now is not the time to travel,” Duclos said.

Beginning Saturday at midnight, the travel ban on 10 African countries — South Africa, Mozambique, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini, Namibia, Nigeria, Malawi and Egypt — will lift.

Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, warned of the sharp increase in COVID-19 cases over the coming days and weeks, and the potential impact that could have on health-care systems still recovering from the fourth wave.

“If Omicron replaces Delta, as we’ve seen elsewhere, we could have a much stronger and faster resurgence than we’ve seen before,” Tam said. “This could affect jurisdictions across Canada with the potential to overwhelm health-care capacity.”

Earlier this week, the World Health Organization said Omicron is in at least 77 countries, but Tam figures the variant is in most countries, even if it hasn’t been detected yet.

Some of the new Omicron cases across Canada aren’t linked to travel, meaning community transmission has been established.

On Wednesday, the federal government reinstated its non-essential travel advisory, asking Canadians to avoid international travel.

Tam urged people to get a COVID booster shot to increase protection, and decrease chances of severe illness or hospitalization.

“The sheer number of cases could inundate the health system in a very short period of time,” Tam said. “Currently, the rapid increase in Omicron cases is likely already contributing to the accelerated growth we’re seeing in several jurisdictions.

“Now more than ever, we all need to bring our best layers of protection to bear.”

Tam said the seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases in Canada has risen 45 per cent this week compared to last week.