New federal travel rules, criticized by many scientists and health experts, have left some Canadians stranded in southern Africa while forcing others to spend unexpected time in a war-torn country on their way home.
Under a rule imposed last month, Canadians are prohibited from using a COVID-19 test from any southern African country if they are returning to Canada from one of those countries. Instead, they must obtain a molecular test from a third country. This has forced some Canadians to stop in Ethiopia on their way home, despite federal advisories against travel to the country because of its civil war.
On the weekend, the federal government announced a temporary exemption but only for one airline, Germany’s Lufthansa, and only for a week. The exemption allows transit through Frankfurt’s airport.
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Scientists and other experts have sharply criticized the Canadian refusal to accept southern African tests. South African laboratories are considered world class and detected the new Omicron variant before any other country did, they noted.
Canada is one of the few countries in the world to insist on third-country tests for its travellers after imposing a travel ban on southern African countries. It now faces condemnation from the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. On Twitter on Sunday, he said it was “dismaying that some countries aren’t accepting negative COVID-19 tests from countries of origin and instead require tests only from third countries.”
It remains disappointing that some countries continue to block direct flights from southern Africa due to the Omicron variant. It’s also dismaying that some countries aren’t accepting negative #COVID19 tests…