The government now advises against all non-essential international travel in the face of the rapidly spreading Omicron variant of COVID-19.
Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos made the announcement Wednesday, following a Tuesday evening meeting between premiers and the prime minister.
"To those who are planning to travel, I say very clearly, now is not the time to travel. The rapid spread of the Omicron variant on a global scale makes us fear the worst for Canadians that may think of travelling," he said.
The health minister said the highly transmissible variant is now spreading in Canadian communities, and just about anywhere else in the world.
Duclos said the travel measure will be in place for four weeks, at which point the government will reassess the epidemiological situation.
"We know that this may sound very drastic to many listening, but we must avoid overloading out hospital system and our health-care workers," he said.
The government said they will continue increase testing capacity at the border, and will have more to say on that “soon.”
Currently, fully vaccinated Canadians and permanent residents returning home after short trips of 72 hours or less to the United States and abroad do not have to provide proof of a negative molecular test, such as a PCR test.
For longer trips, anyone coming into Canada from international locations is required to have a negative PCR test within 72 hours of their scheduled departure in order to board the aircraft and to avoid a potential 14-day quarantine when they arrive.
Ottawa agreed to send shipments of booster doses and rapid tests to provinces and territories to quickly ramp up vaccination campaigns to combat the virus at home.
Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs Dominic LeBlanc urged Canadians to be cautious as they head into the holiday season.