ONTARIO (WWTI) — Canada has reinstated requirements for travelers across all its borders.

In a notice issued on December 15, the Public Health Agency of Canada advised all travelers, regarding of their vaccination status to avoid non-essential travel internationally, including to the U.S. According to the PHA, this is in response to the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

Beginning on December 21, all travelers who enter Canada will be required to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test administered within 72 hours.

This rescinded previous guidelines stating that Canadian citizens were not required to be tested for COVID-19 when making “short” trips, 72 hours of less, out of the country by both land or air.

Additionally, as of November 30, all exempt essential service providers were required to provide vaccination status in the Canadian travel app, ArriveCAN. This continues to be required even for those unvaccinated travelers.

The Government of Canada is also increasing the number of fully vaccinated travelers being selected for testing to reach 100% of vaccinated travelers in the coming weeks.

Canada also restricted some foreign nationals from entering the country immediately following the first advisory regarding the Omicron variant. This included travelers from Bostwana, Egypt, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

All foreign travelers in Canada must be fully vaccinated in order to travel by most air, rail or passenger vessels. Some provinces are also continuing to limit discretionary activities such as visits to restaurants, bars, gyms, and retail shops, to individuals who can provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination.

The Canadian government confirmed that it will continue to assess the situation and adjust border measures as needed.