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
Robert Pickton to remain in medically induced coma until later this week: police
Serial killer Robert Pickton will remain in a medically induced coma for at least the next few days following an attack in a Quebec prison Sunday, according to police spokesperson Hugues Beaulieu.
Charlie Colin, founding member of the pop-rock band Train, dies at 58
Charlie Colin, bassist and founding member of the American pop-rock band Train, best known for their early-aughts hits like 'Drops of Jupiter' and 'Meet Virginia,' has died. He was 58.
'Five feet nothing': Pickton's safety likely behind Quebec transfer, says ex-prison judge
When serial killer Robert Pickton was transferred from British Columbia's Kent Institution to a maximum security prison in Quebec about six years ago, correctional authorities gave no public explanation or confirmation at the time, citing privacy.
'I feel betrayed': Ottawa-area customers out thousands of dollars warn of bad faith contractor
A group of people from eastern Ontario and western Quebec is issuing a warning about Dennis Walker and his company Vue Windows.
Fancy pigeon outfitted in custom diaper has free rein in B.C. family home
When Chrissy Chin volunteered to take in a fancy pigeon abandoned on a park bench, she never imagined she would one day be ordering custom-made diapers for the bird – who lives in her house and has become a member of the family.
'We'll need all hands on deck': Details emerge after deadly boat crash near Kingston
Police say they have wrapped up their on-scene investigation into a deadly boat crash in eastern Ontario as details of the incident begin to emerge.
WestJet planning new fare category for travellers willing to forgo carry-on bag
WestJet Airlines plans to launch a new cheaper fare category that would be available to travellers willing to fly without a carry-on bag.
5 dead and at least 35 hurt in Iowa tornado: officials
Five people died and at least 35 were hurt as powerful tornadoes ripped through Iowa Tuesday, with one carving a path of destruction through the town of Greenfield, officials said.
Woman found dead in Lake Ontario in 2017 matches identity of missing person in Switzerland
Genetic genealogy has helped Toronto police identify a woman who was found dead in Lake Ontario in 2017.