Canada's Omicron travel ban disrupts residents heading home

Canada’s ban on travelers from southern African countries and its refusal to recognize these countries’ PCR tests, aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus Omicron variant, is an obstacle for Canadians heading home and increasing international pressure to reverse the measures. Canada, the United States, the UK and other countries have enacted Africa-specific travel bans even as Omicron is detected in more than 50 countries around the world. Few countries have imposed Omicron restrictions similar to Canada’s requirement that travelers from 10 southern African countries get PCR tests in a third country before coming to Canada. In the face of travel snarls and accusations that these measures are punitive and lack evidence, Canada is under pressure to reverse them. The head of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, called actions barring southern African countries “disappointing” and “dismaying” in a tweet Sunday. Two UN agencies pleaded on Tuesday for bans to be imposed only as a last resort in response to new variants. Canada’s ban caught travelers, including the junior women’s field hockey team, off guard. Some complained of mixed messaging from government agencies. Richard Saunders, a Canadian politics professor who had been doing fieldwork in Zimbabwe and South Africa, was desperate to return home last week.<br/>