Ban on UK flights to Canada not extended

Canada's ban on flights from the UK is not being extended, replaced by a stringent COVID-19 testing program for air travellers. Canada halted most air travel from the UK, where a mutated strain of COVID-19 had been discovered, on Dec. 20. New rules that require passengers returning from abroad to show proof of negative COVID-19 test results will prevent the virus from bleeding across borders, Transport Minister Marc Garneau said. Effective Thursday, passengers aged five and older must take a PCR test — the type of test common in Canada involving a deep nasal swab, and distinct from a rapid test. The test has to be administered less than 72 hours before the scheduled departure, or 96 hours in the cases of 28 countries and territories, mainly in the Caribbean and South America. The four-day timeframe for those 28 jurisdictions shrinks to three days as of Jan. 14, however. Airlines say they were not initially consulted on the testing scheme, which they will be responsible for enforcing at check-in counters around the globe.<br/>