Toronto Pearson still not testing all international travellers, waiting for start date from government
Days after the Canadian government announced mandatory COVID-19 testing for all international travellers, the new program is still not in place at Toronto Pearson.
Officials announced Tuesday that all international travellers, with the exception of the U.S., returning to Canada would be required to take a COVID-19 test and isolate at home until they received the results.
The government said the "unprecedented and swift action" was taken to protect Canadians against the omicron variant.
"We are taking quick action at our borders to mitigate travel related importations of the Omicron variant," Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said Tuesday.
But four days later, Toronto Pearson said they are still waiting for a date from the federal government about when the new testing program will come into effect.
Until the program comes into effect, COVID-19 testing of international travellers only happens randomly and vaccinated travellers do not need to isolate.
"More information will be available in the coming days," a spokesperson for Toronto Pearson told CTV News Toronto on Saturday. "Not all passengers are being tested yet because the government needs more time to put the infrastructure in place."
A spokesperson for Health Canada also confirmed it will take a few more days before all travellers can be tested.
"We are ramping up our capacity quickly, and testing more and more travelers every day," a spokesperson said.
When the mandatory testing program comes into effect, the government said it can take up to three days to receive test results.
Those who are unvaccinated will continue to isolate at home for a full 14 days and take another test on day eight of their quarantine.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.