Canada to require air travelers to test negative for COVID-19

Canada will require air travelers aged 5 and up to test negative for COVID-19 before arrival, starting Jan. 7, Transport Minister Marc Garneau said on Thursday, as the country tightens travel restrictions amid soaring cases of the novel coronavirus.

Passengers will need to have a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours prior to their scheduled departure to Canada, the country said on Wednesday, after social media images of maskless Canadian tourists abroad prompted calls for stricter measures to curb the virus.