OTTAWA TO TOUGHEN INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS AS OMICRON CONCERN ESCALATES

By Chandrayee Roy Choudhury, Canada

The federal government will announce new and expanded travel measures on Wednesday in a bid to limit the spread of the omicron coronavirus variant.
Sources say much stronger measures were discussed with premiers and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during a Tuesday evening call. The proposed measures included whether to implement a ban on all non-essential foreign travellers into Canada, including from the United States, and stricter quarantine and testing measures for travellers who are allowed into Canada, including returning Canadians and permanent residents.Sources say the goal is to slow down the spread of the virus.