Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government will warn Canadians against international travel and is considering tightening the border to some international travellers.
During an interview with Radio-Canada’s Montreal morning show on Friday, Trudeau said the government is not closing the door to any idea and is assessing the situation on a day-to-day basis.
Asked if the government will close the Canadian border, Trudeau said: “We are in the midst of looking at this.”
“We’re in the midst of evaluating day-to-day what to do,” he said.
“As you’ve seen, there are recommendations not to travel outside of Canada. We’re in the midst of co-ordinating with the Americans, obviously, on our borders, on our actions. We’ll continue to evaluate what we can do and how we can keep Canadians in security and we won’t close the door on any idea.”
U.S. President Donald Trump announced Wednesday evening that the U.S. was banning travellers from most parts of Europe, the same day the World Health Organization declared the global outbreak a pandemic.
The State Department also issued a global health advisory cautioning U.S. citizens to “reconsider travel abroad” due to COVID-19.
Trudeau is in self-isolation at home as his wife, Sophie, has tested positive for COVID-19.
Trudeau also said the government is looking at a set of common national guidelines to limit the spread of the coronavirus across the country.
On CBC Radio’s The Current, Trudeau said the government will make a recommendation to Canadians not to travel internationally right now. An announcement on that will likely come later today, he said.
Trudeau said the government is also considering income-support measures to ensure people aren’t worried about money when concerned about their own health and the health of their loved ones.
“We’re going to be putting in place measures to support people to make sure that they can make ends meet, that they can focus on their families while we’re going through a very difficult time economically,” he told host Matt Galloway.
On the border, Trudeau said steps that have been taken to date have “worked quite well” in limiting the number of cases; additional measures may now be required.
“We seem to be approaching a different phase right now and we will make sure that we follow all the advice of our very top experts,” he said.
Trudeau will address the nation today from self-isolation as the number of Canadians who have tested positive for the novel coronoavirus continues to grow — including his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau.
Read the full article at CBC News.
This report was initially published by Kathleen Harris of CBC News.
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