Canada to make changes to COVID border restrictions next week-official

(Reuters) -Canada is reviewing its pandemic-related border restrictions and will likely announce changes next week, as the worst of a Omicron variant-driven wave appears to have passed, Canada’s health minister said on Friday.

“With the worst of Omicron now behind us, our government is actively reviewing the measures in place at our borders and we should be able to communicate changes on this next week,” Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos told reporters.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation earlier reported the federal government was close to removing mandatory COVID-19 PCR testing for fully vaccinated Canadians who travel outside Canada.

Canada requires all travelers entering the country to provide proof of a negative PCR test conducted within 72 hours of arrival. It also requires all non-essential foreign travelers to be fully-vaccinated.

(Reporting by Julie Gordon in Ottawa, Ismail Shakil and Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru)