OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada will soon take more steps to restrict foreign travel as part of its campaign to clamp down on the coronavirus, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters on Tuesday, but did not give details.
Trudeau also said he did not expect Canada to be affected by shortages of COVID-19 vaccines that are hitting some European Union nations. The issues largely center around AstraZeneca Plc’s vaccine, which Canada has not approved yet, he said.
A second wave of coronavirus is sweeping Canada and health officials say some hospitals run the risk of being overwhelmed. Trudeau is urging Canadians not to travel abroad and said Ottawa intended to introduce more restrictions.
“All options are on the table and we will be announcing new measures very soon,” he said.
Trudeau had previously said one possibility would be to oblige arriving passengers to spend a 14-day quarantine period in a hotel at their own expense.
People arriving from abroad currently only have to promise they will go into two weeks of quarantine. Canada obliges everyone flying into the country to provide a mandatory negative test for coronavirus.
(Reporting by David Ljunggren in Ottawa, Editing by Franklin Paul and Matthew Lewis)
