Canada announced on Tuesday a ban on entry to travelers from Nigeria, Malawi and Egypt amid concerns over the spread of the new coronavirus variant Omicron, first reported in South Africa.
Sources told the Toronto Star that these countries have been added to update the previous list, which includes South Africa, Mozambique, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini and Namibia.
Canada also expanded the travel ban to the Netherlands, which reported its first infections with the Omicron variant, and a source said that the Cabinet approved the new steps at a meeting held on Tuesday morning.
The source explained that during the meeting, other options were discussed, including imposing a COVID-19 test on all travelers arriving at Canadian airports.
After a cabinet meeting, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said any new decisions would be announced at a later time. Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino declined to comment on border measures.
