Agribition addresses southern Africa travel concerns about new COVID-19 variant
Representatives from Agribition said there are no international guests participating in the show that travelled from areas in southern Africa where a new coronavirus variant has been identified.
B.1.1.529 was first reported in South Africa on Nov. 24. The World Health Organization (WHO) designated it a variant of concern on Friday and named it “Omicron.”
Chris Lane, the CEO of the Canadian Western Agribition, said the organization canvassed its international room on Friday to see if anyone had been to southern Africa recently, or was planning to travel there.
“Nobody in our international program this year had come from that region or plan to go to that region. I don’t think that is going to have an impact on any of the guests here,” Lane said Saturday.
Lane noted that one guest was a South African national who currently lives in Saskatchewan.
“He hadn’t been to South Africa or southern Africa and isn’t planning on going back immediately anyway, especially now,” Lane said.
The Government of Canada banned the entry of all foreign nationals who have travelled through southern Africa on the last 14 days, on Friday. The banned areas include South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini.
According to Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, there are currently no direct flights from those regions to Canada.
With files from CTVNews.ca and Reuters
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Crypt near Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner could fetch US$400,000 at auction
A one-space mausoleum crypt in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner will go on auction Saturday, when it is expected to reach between US$200,000 and $400,000.
This Toronto restaurant is no longer accepting tips. Here's how it's going
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff – tipping is no longer accepted.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.