New federal travel measures exempting the US are greeted with relief

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Travel agent Gena Ray sighed with relief Tuesday afternoon upon discovering the magnitude of the new travel measures announced by Ottawa.

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“It wasn’t as bad as I feared,” Ray, who works for Direct Travel in Montreal, said by phone. “They are taking precautions, day by day, which is the right thing to do. This pandemic is here to stay until it is under global control. “

As Canada works to stop the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said the federal government will begin requiring people to fly from all countries except the US that get tested for COVID-19 upon arrival, starting immediately. Ottawa too extend the ban on travelers from southern Africa to include Egypt, Malawi, and Nigeria.

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The proof of arrival requirement applies to all passengers, whether or not they are vaccinated, Duclos said. Fully vaccinated travelers will need to remain in quarantine until they have received their test results, which will be paid for by the federal government.

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Montreal restaurateur Ted Dranias was pleased to learn that the United States is exempt from the new measures – until now. He will fly to Florida on Sunday from Plattsburgh, NY to open a new Petros restaurant, which will be his fifth. Plan to be in the United States at least once a month for the next several months.

“This sounds good. I’m making a big investment with this new place in Fort Lauderdale, so I have to be there regularly,” he said. “I even booked my next flight out of Montreal. Prices have dropped.”

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Canada has six confirmed cases of Omicron so far, including four in Ontario, one in Quebec and one in Alberta, Dr. Howard Njoo, the country’s deputy director of public health, told reporters on Tuesday. Investigations are ongoing and could lead to the confirmation of several more cases.

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Most likely there will be community transmission in Canada at some point, Duclos said. Canadians must understand that travel measures “could change at any time,” emphasized Transport Minister Omar Alghabra.

If the health situation worsens, Canada is preparing for a possible extension of the arrival test requirement to US air and ground travelers, Duclos said. No decision has been made.

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“We will work with the provinces and territories to see how it can be done,” Duclos said. “We do not know if it would be necessary to do so or if it could be done if the situation evolves and requires that such a policy be implemented.”

Duclos was due to meet with his provincial counterparts Tuesday night to discuss the situation and “prepare for other eventualities.”

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Still, the prospect of further tightening of restrictions is unlikely to deter Canadian snowbirds from heading to the United States, said Ray, who plans to fly south herself in about two weeks.

“All the snowbirds are leaving,” he said of his clients. “People are tired. They have had it up to here. They want to live. “

After nearly two years of pandemic restrictions, snowbirds are “desperate for sunlight,” added Richard Laberge, CEO of Transport Laberge, which ships cars for Quebec customers to US states. Florida.

“Even if there was a requirement to be tested on arrival, I don’t think this would stop snowbirds,” Laberge said. “Only if the government closed the border would there be a problem.”

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