New Omicron Variant Travel Measures

Today, our Liberal government announced strengthened travel measures to keep Canadians safe given the rise of the variant of concern, Omicron.

As of November 30, 2021, six cases of the Omicron variant of concern in Canada have been confirmed.

Canadians and permanent residents returning from Egypt, Malawi, and Nigeria must receive a negative PCR test from a third country. This is in addition to Lesotho, Botswana, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, and Mozambique.

 The health and safety of Canadians remains our priority. We are strengthening the measures announced last week to include:

• Canadians and permanent residents returning from Egypt, Malawi, and Nigeria must receive a negative PCR test from a third country. This is in addition to Lesotho, Botswana, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, and Mozambique.

• Upon entry, these travelers will face further stringent testing and quarantine measures to ensure the spread of COVID-19 is mitigated.

• Unvaccinated Canadians and PRs will have to spend the entirety of their quarantine in a government quarantine facility.

• Foreign nationals who have travelled to these countries in the last 14 days are not allowed to enter Canada.

These measures are based on the latest public health advice. With the emergence of the Omicron variant of concern, we are taking swift action to protect Canadians. This includes strengthening our testing and quarantine requirements at the border, increasing surveillance and monitoring of new variants, and working with public health to better understand Canada’s epidemiological situation. As the world learns more about this variant, we will continue to work closely with provinces, territories, and global partners to keep Canadians safe. The robust surveillance systems we have in place across the country allow us to identify, trace, and monitor potential cases of the Omicron variant.

As we learn more about this new variant, it is important that we keep practicing the things that we know keep us safe from COVID-19: getting vaccinated, wearing a mask, physical distancing, and limiting our close contacts.

What is the COVID-19 Omicron Variant of Concern?

On 26 November 2021, WHO designated the variant B.1.1.529 a variant of concern, named Omicron, on the advice of WHO’s Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution (TAG-VE).  This decision was based on the evidence presented to the TAG-VE that Omicron has several mutations that may have an impact on how it behaves, for example, on how easily it spreads or the severity of illness it causes. 

Researchers in South Africa and around the world are conducting studies to better understand many aspects of Omicron and will continue to share the findings of these studies as they become available.  

Transmissibility: It is not yet clear whether Omicron is more transmissible (e.g., more easily spread from person to person) compared to other variants, including Delta. The number of people testing positive has risen in areas of South Africa affected by this variant, but epidemiologic studies are underway to understand if it is because of Omicron or other factors.  

Severity of disease: It is not yet clear whether infection with Omicron causes more severe disease compared to infections with other variants, including Delta.  Preliminary data suggests that there are increasing rates of hospitalization in South Africa, but this may be due to increasing overall numbers of people becoming infected, rather than a result of specific infection with Omicron.  There is currently no information to suggest that symptoms associated with Omicron are different from those from other variants.  Initial reported infections were among university students—younger individuals who tend to have more mild disease—but understanding the level of severity of the Omicron variant will take days to several weeks.  All variants of COVID-19, including the Delta variant that is dominant worldwide, can cause severe disease or death, in particular for the most vulnerable people, and thus prevention is always key. 

What scrutiny is in place for travellers?

There will be increased scrutiny of quarantine plans for travellers from these countries and rigorous monitoring to ensure travellers are complying with quarantine measures. Further, PHAC is contacting travellers, regardless of their vaccination status or having had a previous history of testing positive for COVID-19, who have entered Canada from these countries in the past 14 days to direct them to be tested and to quarantine while they wait for the results of those tests. 

As of today, vaccination is required for travel within and out of Canada. A valid COVID-19 molecular test is no longer accepted as an alternative to vaccination unless travellers are eligible for one of the limited exemptions, such as a medical inability to be vaccinated. Travellers should contact their airline or railway company to obtain the necessary form and submit it in accordance with their carrier's approval process. Effective today, fully vaccinated Canadian citizens, permanent residents or individuals registered under the Indian Act who depart and re-enter Canada by land or by air within 72 hours of leaving the country do not have to provide a pre-entry molecular test result. 

ArriveCAN remains mandatory for everyone, regardless if travellers enter by land/air/marine or how long they were away from Canada. All travellers must submit their mandatory information in ArriveCAN (free mobile app or website), including proof of vaccination in English or French and a quarantine plan before arriving in Canada.

Will booster vaccines be recommended?

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) provides expert, independent recommendations on vaccination rollout for provinces and territories. We have asked NACI to prioritize the review of Canada’s current vaccine regimes and their effectiveness against this new variant. Canada is working with the global community to better understand immunity against the Omicron variant, and any adjustments to our public health measures will be made based on science and evidence. 

What efforts are underway to better understand Omicron?

Canada remains committed to global action and taking important steps to improve our collective defences against future threats and to strengthen global health and health security. International collaboration is essential in identifying and monitoring new COVID-19 outbreaks and variants, and Canada has been an active partner every step of the way.

In February 2021, the Government of Canada increased its capacity to find and track variants of concern in Canada by investing $53 million in an integrated Variants of Concern Strategy. The Government of Canada is working with provinces and territories and the Canadian COVID Genomics Network and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research on surveillance, sequencing and scientific efforts to detect known and potentially emerging COVID-19 virus variants of concern. 

To date, Canada has mobilized more than $2.5B in international assistance to combat COVID-19.