Pharmacare bill passes in the House of Commons, heads to the Senate
The Liberals' pharmacare bill is headed to the Senate after passing third reading in the House of Commons.
Canada will be banning the entry of all foreign nationals who have travelled through southern Africa in the last 14 days as concerns over a new coronavirus variant grow.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said individuals who have travelled through southern Africa in the last 14 days and are currently in Canada are being asked to quarantine now and to go for a COVID-19 test.
The countries include South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini.
Those individuals must remain in quarantine until they receive a negative result, he said.
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said there are currently no direct flights from the region to Canada.
Canadians and other permanent residents returning to Canada from the region through another country must take a negative COVID-19 test in the third country.
They will also be tested upon arrival in Canada, Duclos said, and will quarantine until they have proof of a negative test.
He said these individuals will then be released to quarantine somewhere safe, but must be tested once again on day eight.
Duclos said Global Affairs Canada will also be issuing a travel advisory, asking all Canadians not to travel to southern Africa, noting the government is “acting quickly to protect the health and safety of Canadians."
According to Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, laboratories across Canada have been “alerted” to the B.1.1.529 variant, and have “searched for possible detections.”
“But to date there are no indications of the variant’s presence in Canada,” Tam said. “There have not been any identifications of this variant through post-arrival testing of travellers to date.”
While the variant is still being studied, Tam said it is considered “unusual” due to the high number of mutations.
“Due to the potential for increased transmissibility and the possibility of increased resistance to vaccine induced protection, we’re concerned about this new variant and are closely monitoring the evolving situation,” she told reporters.
Tam said it is “very difficult” to keep the mutation out of Canada “entirely.”
“The border is never 100 per cent, but each layer provides an additional layer of protection,” she said.
While the travel ban currently only covers seven countries, Alghabra said officials will continue to monitor data from around the world as well as from tests conducted at the border.
“We’ll take additional precautionary measures if necessary,” he said, adding that officials will be “constantly” re-evaluating and reassessing the list of affected countries.
The news from Canada comes just after the World Health Organization (WHO) designated B.1.1.529 a variant of concern, and named it “omicron.”
According to the WHO, the variant was first reported from South Africa on Nov. 24.
Since then, cases of the variant have been reported in Belgium, Botswana, Israel and Hong Kong.
The WHO said this variant has a “large number of mutations,” some of which “are concerning.”
“Preliminary evidence suggests and increased risk of reinfection with this variant, as compared to other VOCs,” a press release reads.
According to the WHO, the number of cases of this variant “appears to be increasing in almost all provinces in South Africa,”
Fears over the variant have prompted several countries including Britain, the U.S. and the European Union to tighten their border controls.
But, speaking at a media briefing on Friday, South Africa’s Health Minister Joe Phaahla said the travel bans are against the norms and standards of the WHO.
With a file from Reuters
The Liberals' pharmacare bill is headed to the Senate after passing third reading in the House of Commons.
A university student woke up one morning to find her car had been towed away without warning. She finally got answers - just not the ones she expected.
Recent data from the U.S. census revealed that more than 126,000 people moved from Canada to the U.S. in 2022. An expert said that one of the main reasons for this move is the cost of living.
Some MPs began 'wittingly assisting' foreign state actors soon after their election, says a report released Monday, including sending confidential information to Indian officials.
For two years doctors told her she was an alcoholic. Then they realized her gut was making alcohol from carbohydrates, a rare condition called auto-brewery syndrome.
One person is dead and 26 were injured after a bus carrying Quebec tourists was involved in a collision in Cuba on Sunday.
A new law protecting cyclists and pedestrians in British Columbia takes effect Monday, establishing minimum distances that drivers must keep from so-called vulnerable road users.
Newfoundland and Labrador has floated an eyebrow-raising trial balloon in a bid to further the public health fight against tobacco and nicotine.
Many people are familiar with the benefits of being in nature, but forest therapy goes a step further than a simple walk in the woods.
Many people are familiar with the benefits of being in nature, but forest therapy goes a step further than a simple walk in the woods.
The Stanley Cup was passing through town Friday, and Lanny Legend took it upon himself to take it for a surprise visit.
Car 14 is a luxury passenger car that once made regular runs from London to Port Stanley starting in 1917.
A hefty donation by a renowned local activist to the University of Winnipeg has created what is believed to be the most comprehensive two-spirit archives in all of Canada.
Leanne Van Bergen discovered a skulk of 10 baby foxes, and two mothers, had made themselves at home on her property in Beausejour.
An 81-year-old Waterloo, Ont. woman thought she’d never ride a horse again after a brain bleed led to severe physical complications.
A CP24 camera caught the moment a driver frantically got out of her car as it was being dragged by a truck on Avenue Road Wednesday afternoon.
Prince Edward Island is celebrating its first-ever International Day of Potato on Thursday.
The president of Covered Bridge Chips in New Brunswick is hoping to have his factory rebuilt for late 2025 following a devastating fire last year.