As of Monday, Ottawa has offered mandatory patch tests at more than a hundred land crossings on its U.S. border as concerns about the spread of new coronavirus variants grow.
© Lars Hagberg
The US-Canadian border must remain closed until March 21
“Travelers entering Canada at land borders will, unless they are released, have to take a test using a self-swapping kit,” a statement from the Canadian Public Health Agency said.
“This test can be taken at the traveler’s quarantine room or at a border test site.”
The border is currently closed for essential travel, a policy that should last until March 21 after it was extended on Friday.
Travelers entering Canada must, unless exempted, undergo two Covid-19 tests, one on their first day of arrival and one later in their 14-day quarantine period.
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FOLLOWING
Air passengers arriving in Canada will have to undergo a three-day hotel quarantine at their own expense from Monday, awaiting the outcome of a coronavirus test.
Canadian media reported that the phone reservation system for the approved hotels was experiencing long delays on Saturday.
Theresa Tam, the country’s chief of public health, on Friday stressed the danger posed by a growing number of coronavirus variants to Canadians, and stressed the need for continued vigilance in the face of the pandemic.
Canada on Saturday listed more than 840,000 Covid-19 cases since the start of the pandemic, with more than 21,000 deaths.
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