Canada adds Nigeria to travel ban list over Omicron COVID-19 variant panic

It’s unclear where or when the variant first emerged, but it has created a global panic since South African health officials first reported it last week.

The emergence of the variant has led to a flurry of travel bans, mostly affecting African countries, with cases already detected in at least 19 countries, many of them in Europe.

Canada immediately banned foreign travellers from seven African countries last week before it eventually detected its first two cases, both recent travellers from Nigeria, on Sunday, November 28, 2021.

Nigeria, Egypt, and Malawi were added to that ban list, effective December 1, according to a statement by the Canadian government on Tuesday, November 30.

“Foreign nationals who have been in any of these countries within the previous 14 days will not be permitted entry into Canada,” the statement noted.

The ban does not affect Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and others with status under the Indian Act, but they will be subjected to enhanced pre-entry and arrival testing, screening, and quarantine measures.