On Friday, Ontario reported 927 new cases of COVID-19, the highest number in over ten weeks, and Premier Doug Ford called on the federal government to prohibit flights from countries where a new viral type has been discovered.
Ford said in a statement that the recently discovered variant could be resistant to existing vaccines and even more transmissible than the delta variant, which now accounts for nearly all new cases in the province.
After instances of the new variety, called B.1.1.529, were verified in South Africa and Botswana, a spate of countries rushed to halt aviation travel from the region. Israel has also recorded a single instance of the disease in a Malawian visitor.
Ford said he called the federal government to convey his “serious worry about the risks [the variation] poses and the necessity for prompt action now,” according to his statement. Ford further requested the federal government to prohibit planes and people from certain nations.
“Anyone coming before the prohibition is imposed, including the numerous people arriving today, should be examined and quarantined,” he stated in the statement. “We must also implement point-of-arrival testing for all travellers arriving in Canada, regardless of where they are coming from, out of an abundance of caution.”
Ford went on to say that he’s instructed Moore to increase monitoring of new COVID cases in the province and update preparation “to ensure we’re ready for any eventuality.”
Source: CBC News
