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A host of travel restrictions and rules meant to slow the spread of COVID-19 will run through January, the federal government said Sunday, as case counts continue to rise steadily across the country.
A host of travel restrictions and rules meant to slow the spread of COVID-19 will run through January, the federal government said Sunday, as case counts continue to rise steadily across the country.
In a statement, Public Safety Minister Bill Blair and Health Minister Patty Hajdu said the measures would be in effect until January 21, 2021 for travelers entering Canada from a country other than the United States. United.
The rules were first imposed near the start of the global outbreak.
“We have introduced a series of policies to keep Canadians safe, but we must remain flexible and adapt to the evolving COVID-19 situation,” Blair said in a statement.
The ministers said the restrictions for visitors crossing the border from the United States are in effect until Dec. 21, but may be extended.
Among the new rules is a requirement that anyone entering the country self-isolate for 14 days.
But the ministers also said they seek to enable “high-performance amateur sports organizations” to hold major international events on Canadian soil.
They said that successful applicants would have to submit a public health plan and show that they have obtained the support of provincial and territorial governments and health authorities.
The Department of Canadian Heritage will issue authorizations in consultation with the Canadian Health Agency, the ministers said.
The announcement comes as the COVID-19 case count continued to rise, albeit at levels slightly below the record daily counts seen in various regions in recent weeks.
Public health officials in Quebec reported 1,395 new cases Sunday, while Ontario recorded 1,708 new infections, bringing provincial totals since the pandemic began to 141,038 and 114,746, respectively.
Cases have also risen steadily in Atlantic Canada, with New Brunswick reporting 14 new diagnoses on Sunday and Newfoundland and Labrador recording four additional infections.
Nova Scotia public health officials recorded 10 new cases, all in the central area of the province, which includes Halifax.
Manitoba reported 365 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday and 11 new deaths, almost all related to outbreaks in nursing homes.
Health officials said nine of the 11 deaths were people between the ages of 80 and 90, one was a man in his 60s and another was a man in his 70s.
The case count in Nunavut also increased by 13, while Saskatchewan reported 351 new infections.
Alberta reported its second highest number of new COVID-19 cases, registering 1,608, with nine more deaths.
Canada’s top public health official, Dr. Theresa Tam, said the highest rate of infection is among people 80 and older, while more outbreaks are occurring in long-term care homes.
“Cases are increasing among older adults,” Tam said in a statement.
Both Quebec and Manitoba reported major new outbreaks at such facilities.
A Montreal public health agency on Sunday transferred 20 residents of a long-term care home to two local hospitals after a COVID-19 outbreak raised widespread concern this week.
Authorities said 30 residents had tested positive for COVID-19 at the Maimonides Geriatric Center. Ten residents died during the second wave of the pandemic, according to the latest data from the Quebec Department of Health.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on November 29, 2020.
The Canadian Press
