Canada is one of the countries that has the strictest travel and border measures for travelers. Recently, the country imposed entry restrictions for individuals coming from India and Pakistan. As of writing, India is known to have reached the 400,000 mark on new cases with a total of 19,925,604 cases today. With the current surge of COVID-19, Canada is set to ban all incoming international students bound for Ontario. This move was announced by PM Justin Trudeau on Friday. Final details about the proposed ban, however, is yet to be released by the government.
There have also been 36 cases of the B.1.617 variant of the coronavirus originating from India, which are already identified in Ontario. Ontario Governor, Doug Ford has called the attention of the federal government to stop all non-essential travel into the province.
“The images we are seeing from other parts of the world right now are heartbreaking,” said Ford. “These deadly new variants are causing devastation in India and other countries. We can’t let that happen here.”
Ontario has the highest number of COVID-19 cases reaching 25,114 on May 2, 2021.The province also has a maximum number of international students of 242,825. International students are currently exempt from Canada’s COVID-19 travel protocols. They can enter the country with a valid study permit, or a letter of introduction as proof for a study permit, and if they are attending a designated learning institution (DLI) following a COVID-19 readiness program approved by the territory. But the proposed travel ban will now affect international students who need to enter Canada regardless of whether they will attend a DLI in Ontario and adhere to quarantine procedures.
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