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Ontario will make all international travellers take a COVID-19 test on arrival starting Monday.
The province is moving forward with the traveller testing despite a similar federal program announced earlier Friday that’s set to ramp up in the coming weeks.
“That’s a few weeks too long,” said Premier Doug Ford in announcing the six-point plan at a news conference at Queen’s Park.
“Mandatory testing will serve as a stop-gap until the new federal measures take effect.”
Ford says anyone refusing to take the test will be given a $750 ticket.
Ontario’s chief medical officer is using authority granted to him under public health legislation to impose the mandatory tests.
The testing order will come into effect Monday at Toronto’s Pearson International airport, and will also apply to the province’s land border crossings to the United States at a date to be determined.
Premier Doug Ford has repeatedly called on the federal government to bring in mandatory testing for travellers as variant strains of COVID-19 spread around the world.
Ontario’s first COVID-19 UK variant case was confirmed last month and was due to international travel. Since that time, 51 cases of the variant have been confirmed in the province.
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