OTTAWA — The federal government is reintroducing the requirement for a pre-arrival PCR test result for all travellers leaving Canada for less than 72 hours.

The requirement for pre-arrival testing will therefore be in place again for all trips, of all durations, said Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos in a COVID-19 briefing this morning.

He made the announcement with the reminder that the pre-arrival test needs to be taken in a country other than Canada.

Also during the briefing, Duclos announced that the federal government will ease its restrictions on the 10 omicron watch-list countries. “Given the current situation this measure has served its purpose and is no longer necessary,” said Duclos.

Duclos was asked about the pre-arrival PCR test requirement now for all trips, even short trips of less than 72 hours. “What we want to do is discourage people from travelling even for short trips, because of the very high transmissibility of the new variant. Even a few days can endanger the health and safety of people who choose to travel.”