Canada plans to quarantine travelers in hotels | News on the coronavirus pandemic

Canada already requires those entering the country to self-isolate for 14 days and test negative for COVID-19

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday warned his government could impose tighter travel restrictions at any time in response to new, possibly more contagious, variants of the coronavirus – possibly make quarantine mandatory in a hotel at their expense upon arrival in Canada.

Trudeau told a press conference that such measures could be imposed suddenly and bluntly warned against non-essential travel abroad.

“No one should be taking a vacation abroad right now. If you still have one planned, cancel it. And don’t book a trip for spring break, ”Trudeau said.

Canada already required those entering the country to self-isolate for 14 days and present a negative COVID-19 test conducted within three days of arrival. The suggested measure would require self-isolation in a hotel rather than at home.

Recent variants of the virus that have emerged in the UK, South Africa and Brazil appear to spread more easily and scientists say this will lead to more cases, deaths and hospitalizations. They are also concerned about any potential ability to reduce vaccine effectiveness over time.

There is also evidence that the new variant first identified in south-east England carries a higher risk of death than the original strain, Britain’s chief scientific adviser Patrick said on Friday. Vallance, at a press conference.

Dr Andrew Morris, professor of infectious diseases at the University of Toronto and medical director of the antimicrobial stewardship program at the Sinai-University Health Network, said he supported requiring travelers to self-quarantine in a hotel at their own expense.

Paramedics transport a person from Roberta Place, a long-term care facility for the elderly that is the site of a COVID-19 outbreak, in Barrie, Ontario [Carlos Osorio/Reuters]

“It’s not convenient for travelers, but we’re in a pandemic,” Morris said. “If you want to protect the borders and do all you can to avoid the importation of new problematic strains, and you want your cases to go down, then this is what you need to do. In my mind, it’s okay. It’s late. He is months behind.

Morris said the measure would discourage overseas vacations because people would not want to have to quarantine themselves in a hotel at their own expense upon their return.

He said more and more governments are thinking about ways to be more aggressive due to new variants, delays in vaccines, the challenges related to the vaccination of the population and the tensions on the health systems.