Egypt, Nigeria and Malawi have been added to the Government of Canada's growing list of countries that will have prohibitions coming into the Country according to the Canadian Government.
Effective Wednesday December 1st foreign nationals who have been in any of these countries within the previous 14 days will not be permitted entry into Canada, Botswana, Egypt, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria,South Africa, an Zimbabwe.
The new restrictions are due to the growing threat of the Omicron Variant, or COVID-19.
Canadian Minister of Health the Hon. Jean-Yves Duclos said the quick action was to try and stop the spread of the new Omicron Variant, “We are taking quick action at our borders to mitigate travel related importations of the Omicron variant.
"While our monitoring systems are working well, we now know that the Omicron variant is present in Canada. We need to remain vigilant in our own actions," the Minister added. "We must all continue to do our part to protect all people in Canada.”
Canadians who have been in any of the African countries on the restricted travel list in the 14 days before travel to Canada will be required to obtain, within 72 hours of departure, a valid negative COVID-19 molecular test in a third country before continuing their journey to Canada.
Canadian Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino said that the new measures will be enforced at all borders to ensure Canadians safety, "Canada Border Services Agency officers will apply all measures deemed necessary to comply with entry requirements. I ask all Canadians to be patient as they wait to cross the border and check to ensure you have complied with all entry requirements before arriving at the Canadian border.”
As of November 30, 2021, six cases of the Omicron variant of concern in Canada have been confirmed. The variant has been found in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec.