Canada Government Taken Strong Steps to Control Omicron Variant

Until 26th November 2021, many countries of the world believed that the Wuhan Virus COVID-19 pandemic is about to over. But on 26 November the WHO (World Health Organization) has raised a new COVID 19 Omicron Variant’s concern to the world. Since then there are plenty of countries and regions have found positive cases. Canada is also one of the countries, which has some positive cases. As per the government’s records till 30 November 2021 six positive Omicron Variant cases have been confirmed.

The threat of the new variant has put most of the candidates put into another dilemma. Especially, those candidates who are looking for Canada Study Visa and Canada permanent residency. These applicants were waiting for any positive updates since long but again due to this new Omicron variant hopes are getting down.

Canada Government Steps to Prevent Omicron Variant

As a result, to reduce the risk of community transmission, the Minister of Health, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, the Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, and the Honourable Marco Mendicino, Minister of Public Safety, has announced these border measures.

Travel Banned Countries

• As per the latest surveillance efforts and public health advice, the government of Canada have added the listed below countries in the prohibition of the entry list.
  • Botswana,
  • Egypt,
  • Eswatini,
  • Lesotho,
  • Malawi,
  • Mozambique,
  • Namibia,
  • Nigeria,
  • South Africa
  • Zimbabwe

Travelling Measures Taken by The Canada Government

• Foreign nationals who have been in the listed above countries in the past 14 days will not allow entry into Canada.
  • Apart from this, Canadian citizens, permanent residency holders who have been in these countries for the 14 days before travelling to Canada, need to
  • Within the 72 hours of departure, take a valid negative of COVID 19 molecular test in the third country before carry on the journey to Canada.
  • The test is mandatory at the arrival to Canada, irrespective of the vaccination status or any medical history of COVID 19 positive testing.
  • Additionally, travellers need to complete their test on the 8th day after arrival and the quarantine of 14 days.
  • All the arrival need to be quarantined in the designated stay until they receive their test results. They can only travel afterwards once they receive the negative test result.
  • Arrivals who are coming through the land ways may allow reaching directly to their quarantine location. However, these candidates need to stay in a designated quarantine place, if they do not have any suitable and robust quarantine plan.
  • As far as, Canada Permanent Residency and Canada Study Visa have been concerned, yet Canadian Immigration has not declared any special updates on this. However, the candidates who belong from the listed above countries must need to follow these measures.

Canada Government’s Measures Within the Country

• The authorities have increased the quarantine plan’s scrutiny from these countries.
• Monitoring will also become rigorous to ensure that travellers are taking and applying the quarantine measures.
• Additionally, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is in contact with those travellers who already have entered Canada from the above-listed countries in the last 14 days. The PHAC will trace them, and guide them to be tested and remain quarantined until their test results come.
• A few months backs in February 2021 Canadian government has invested nearly $53 million in an Integrated Variants of Concern Strategy to enhance the capacity to find and track the variants among the positive cases.
• The Canadian government has also been in regular contact and working with the provincial and territories based COVID Genomic Network, the Canadian Institute of Health Research on Surveillance, Sequencing and Scientific efforts to identify the probable COVID – 19 virus variants of concern.
• The government has imposed a compulsory vaccination to travel within or outside of Canada.
• The government has also removed the acceptance of the COVID 19 molecular test as an alternate of vaccination. Only those travellers are allowed who fall in one of the travelling exemptions such as medical history if did not take any vaccination.
• Travellers also need to obtain the necessary forms from their Airlines or Railway companies to complete the carrier’s approval process.
• Those Canadian citizens, and permanent residency holders, are not required to have pre-entry molecular test results, who depart and re-entered in Canada by land or by air within 72 hours of leaving the country.
• The Canadian government’s COVID 19 mobile application and online login portal remains compulsory for everyone, irrespective of their visa status. All the travellers just need to submit all the details in this ArriveCAN.
• Additionally, they also need to include all the proof of vaccination in English and French language and quarantine plan before arriving in Canada.

Conclusion

This new COVID 19 Omicron variant has started affecting the world. Plenty of countries now started getting the suspects. As a result, Canada has swung into action and the government has imposed some of the strong steps to control the spread of infection.