Canada has lifted the travel restriction imposed on Nigeria and nine other African countries in the wake of the outbreak of Omicron variant of COVID-19.
The other countries affected by the order are South Africa, Botswana, Egypt, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe.
Speaking at a media briefing on Friday, Canada’s minister of health, Jean-Yves Duclos, said the ban was imposed to slow the arrival of Omicron in the country.
“But with Omicron now spreading within Canada it is no longer needed,” he added.
The minister, however, disclosed that the reversal of the travel ban will take effect from Saturday, December 18 at 11.59pm.
He also said pre-arrival negative PCR tests for all travelers would also be reinstated as of December 21, while restating a government warning earlier in the week that “now is not the time to travel.”
Officials said laboratory tests have confirmed as of Friday nearly 350 cases of the Omicron variant across Canada.
The total average daily Covid case count, meanwhile, has jumped by 45 percent in the past week to about 5,000.
“It is expected the sheer number of (Omicron) cases could inundate the health system in a very short period of time,” said the country’s chief public health officer Theresa Tam.
Recall that the Canadian decision came some days after the United Kingdom and the UAE governments lifted the ban imposed on travel from 10 African countries including Nigeria.
Canada first implemented the ban on November 26 to seven African countries – South Africa, Mozambique, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini, Namibia – but within days added Nigeria, Malawi and Egypt.
The ban was originally set to expire on January 31.
