Canada to require negative test for people entering country

TORONTO (AP) — The #Canadian government said #Wednesday that passengers must have a negative COVID-19 test taken within three days before they arrive in the country.

#Intergovernmental #Affairs #Minister #Dominic #LeBlanc said the measure will be implemented in the next few days.

#Canada already requires those entering the country to self-isolate for 14 days and it has already banned all flights from the #United #Kingdom because of the new variant of COVID-19 spreading there.

The decision came a day after the premier of #Canada’s largest province said he had ordered his finance minister to end a #Caribbean vacation he took at a time the government is urging people to avoid nonessential travel because of the pandemic.

#Ontario #Premier #Doug #Ford said #Wednesday it is “unacceptable” that #Finance #Minister #Rod #Phillips went to the #French island of #St. #Barts for the holidays.

“We’re going to have a very tough conversation when he gets back,” #Ford said. “There can’t be rules for elected people and nonelected people.”

#Ford said #Phillips “never told anyone” he was leaving but #Ford said he knew #Phillips was out of the country “shortly after he arrived.”

“My mistake. I take full responsibility. #At that time, I should have said ‘get your backside back into #Ontario’ and I didn’t do that,” #Ford said.

The finance minister’s #Twitter account had suggested that he was in #Ontario while he has been in #St. #Barts. #In a video posted on #Christmas #Eve, he was shown sitting by a fireplace with a gingerbread house and a little #Christmas tree and drinking eggnog.

#Phillips said he was returning immediately.

#Opposition parties called for #Phillips to be removed from cabinet.

#Phillips also travelled to #Switzerland in #August.

“Some #Canadians are still travelling for nonessential reasons. #This is deeply concerning. #We must reiterate that now is not the time to travel,” #Howard #Njoo, #Canada’s deputy chief public health officer, said #Wednesday.

#Ontario began a provincewide lockdown on #Dec. 26 and #Ford has been blaming travelers for bringing the new coronavirus to the province.

#Canada’s national government and the #Ontario government have both repeatedly asked #Canadians not to travel abroad during the pandemic.

The #Ford government already was being criticized for halting vaccination operations over the holidays and for delaying a provincewide lockdown until the day after #Christmas.

#Ontario set a new daily record for cases on #Wednesday with 2,923, with just over one-third of them in the country’s largest city of #Toronto.