Canada curbs travel due to new COVID-19 variants

• All international flights — commercial, private and charter — are to land at four specific Canadian airports and travelers are required to have tested negative pre-departure. The government will introduce mandatory PCR testing at those airports for individuals returning to Canada, AP writes, citing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
• Travelers entering the country by land will also be required to get tested 72 hours before arrival. Commercial truck drivers are exempt from this rule.
• Canadian health officials said tests will be required on the 10th day after a traveler's return into the country, per AP.
• Already the country requires travelers to self-isolate for 14 days and present a negative COVID-19 test taken within three days before arrival to Canada.

What they're saying: "The Government of Canada continues to take unprecedented action to protect the health and safety of Canadians by introducing measures to prevent further introduction and transmission of COVID-19 and new variants of the virus into Canada," the news release for the order says.

• "Travelers will ... have to wait for up to three days at an approved hotel for their test results, at their own expense, which is expected to be more than $2,000," Trudeau said Friday, per AP.
• "Those with negative test results will then be able to quarantine at home under significantly increased surveillance and enforcement."