Ford welcomes Canada's latest travel rules, says new variant is cause for concern, but not panic
Ontario Premier Doug Ford welcomed the federal government’s latest travel restrictions and testing requirements in response to the Omicron variant, saying local cases are “a cause for concern, but not a cause for panic.”
The premier made the comments during a news conference on Wednesday about the provinces long awaited plans for a rebuild of Trillium Health Partners' Mississauga Hospital and just hours after the federal government announced it will add more countries to the list of nations subjected to travel restrictions, and will impose new testing requirements on all air travellers coming from outside of Canada with the exception of the U.S.
“Every day we learn more about the Omicron virus and about how quickly it can spread and how severe it may be,” Ford told reporters. “Every day we hold off on more cases entering our country, the more time we have to learn and prepare. So the best thing we can do right now is to fortify our borders.”
“We welcome the actions from the federal government and I want to thank the feds for taking action today … We cannot jeopardize the gains that we've made.”
Little is yet known about Omicron at this point in time, including whether it is more contagious, causes more serious illness or can evade vaccines. Scientists say it is of concern due to its high number of mutations. While the Omicron variant was first detected in South Africa, it may have already been in other parts of the world before South African scientists flagged it to the world.
On Friday, in response to the discovery, Ford publicly called on Ottawa to ban all flights and passengers from countries of concern and implement new testing requirements. So far, four cases of the new Omicron variant have been identified in Ontario.
Canada pushed further travel restrictions on Tuesday. New testing requirements will now mean that all air travellers coming from outside Canada, with the exception of the United States, will need to be tested at the airport when they land in Canada, on top of the existing pre-departure test requirement.
The federal government also added Nigeria, Malawi and Egypt to the group of seven other countries originally facing travel restrictions, including South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini.
“I'm glad that we enhanced the testing at the airports and we've added three additional countries on the list,” Ford said on Wednesday. He added that he will continue to have conversations with the federal government about what new restrictions needs to be in place.
“I'd always support anything that can be cautious to prevent this new variant from coming into our country.”
Ford said the province is planning to increase tracking and tracing within the province to monitor the new variant of concern. He said the province is also increasing testing.
Health officials reported an additional 780 new COVID-19 cases in Ontario on Wednesday, as well as six more deaths related to the disease. Ontario's seven-day rolling average of daily infections continues to rise, standing at about 821 today.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
Suter scores late goal, clinches series for Canucks
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Hulk Hogan, hurricanes and a blockbuster recording: A week in review of the Trump hush money trial
Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, including a California lawyer who negotiated deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Drone footage shows Ukrainian village battered to ruins as residents flee Russian advance
The Ukrainian village of Ocheretyne has been battered by fighting, drone footage obtained by The Associated Press shows. The village has been a target for Russian forces in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Parliamentary report on Emergencies Act decision is 18 months past due — and counting
The erstwhile group of senators and MPs studying the federal government's invocation of the Emergencies Act over the "Freedom Convoy" was supposed to present its findings in December. December of 2022, that is.