'Most of the city is evacuating': Gridlock on Alberta highway after evacuation order in Fort McMurray
Four Fort McMurray neighbourhoods were ordered to evacuate on Tuesday as a wildfire gets closer to the city.
In light of the new variant Omicron emerging, the World Heath Organization (WHO) has put out new advice regarding international travel, including that some people over the age of 60 years old should refrain from travelling.
The organization put out an advisory on Tuesday listing ways that countries and individuals can attempt to stay safe and minimize the risk posed by Omicron.
One of the main points was that people who are at a higher risk of developing severe disease if they contract COVID-19 — people who are sick, immunocompromised, have comorbities such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes — or people who are over the age of 60 and who are not vaccinated or have not previously had COVID-19 should postpone travelling "to areas with community transmission."
Scientists in South Africa identified a new version of the novel coronavirus last week, which was quickly labelled a variant of concern and dubbed Omicron. Although not much is known about Omicron at this stage, the new variant seems to have a high number of mutations that make it different from other variants, raising concerns that it could prove to be more transmissible, or able to reinfect those who had COVID-19 previously.
The identification of a new variant has led to a number of countries, including Canada, to announce temporary travel bans and other health measures intended to stop the variant from spreading. However, several cases of Omicron have been detected in more than one Canadian province so far.
WHO stated in their advisory Tuesday that countries should “continue to apply an evidence-informed and risk-based approach when implementing travel measures,” adding that “blanket travel bans will not prevent the international spread.”
They advised that countries could implement a “multi-layered risk mitigation approach” for international travel, such as screening passengers with tests or requiring quarantine.
During an update on Tuesday, the federal government announced that Canada will be imposing new testing requirements on air travellers coming from outside of Canada. All will be required to get tested at the airport upon their arrival in Canada, with the exception of travellers from the U.S.
Travel for essential reasons, such as humanitarian missions and emergency personnel or cargo transport of essential supplies, should still continue, WHO said.
“In addition, all travellers should be reminded to remain vigilant for signs and symptoms of COVID-19, to get vaccinated when it is their turn and to adhere to public health and social measures at all times and regardless of vaccination status, including by using masks appropriately, respecting physical distancing, following good respiratory etiquette and avoiding crowded and poorly ventilated spaces,” the advisory stated.
This story has been updated with the corrected WHO statement on advising certain people not to travel.
Four Fort McMurray neighbourhoods were ordered to evacuate on Tuesday as a wildfire gets closer to the city.
Less than a week after two public sculptures featuring a livestream between Dublin, Ireland, and New York City debuted, 'inappropriate behaviour' in real-time interactions between people in the two cities has prompted a temporary shutdown.
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Saskatchewan RCMP have revealed that a historic sexual assault investigation has led to the discovery of alleged crimes against children dating back to 2005.
Nearly 1,000 wildfires have burned across Canada so far this year. Here's an overview of the situation in Canada.
King Charles III has unveiled the first portrait of the monarch completed since he assumed the throne, a vivid image that depicts him in the bright red uniform of the Welsh Guards against a background of similar hues.
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
An American accused of sexually assaulting a Pennsylvania college student in 2013 and later sending her a Facebook message that said, 'So I raped you,' has been detained in France after a three-year search.
Captain John Tavares scored 15 seconds into overtime and saved his teammates some embarrassment as Canada held on for a 6-5 win over Austria on Tuesday at the world hockey championship.
A team is ready to help an entangled North Atlantic right whale in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
A $200 reward is being offered by a North Vancouver family for the safe return of their beloved chicken, Snowflake.
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
Mother's Day can be a difficult occasion for those who have lost or are estranged from their mom.
YES Theatre Young Company opened its acclaimed kids’ show, One Small Step, at Sudbury Theatre Centre on Saturday.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.