FEDS, PROVINCES MULL TESTS FOR ARRIVING U.S. TRAVELLERS

It's too early to say whether Canada's latest requirement to test arriving air travellers for COVID-19 will be extended to include those coming from the U.S., Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said Wednesday. The federal government is in discussions with the provinces on that issue but is ready to act to implement such a requirement for incoming U.S. air travellers if necessary, he said. “We made a decision right now about testing every traveller coming in from around the world other than the U.S. We are having discussions,” Alghabra

said. “We need to be prepared and ready if we need to adjust that decision to include travellers from the U.S. We haven't made that decision yet.” Alghabra said a decision would be based on “the epidemiology in the U.S., around the world.” Ottawa announced on Tuesday that all air travellers entering Canada, except for those coming from the U.S., would need to be tested for COVID-19 upon arrival at the airport and isolate until they get their results, due to concerns about the potentially dangerous new Omicron variant.