Canada is barring entry to all travellers who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced today.
There will be exceptions for air crew and diplomats.
The new measure to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus in Canada does not include US citizens.
Additionally, air operators will be “formally mandated’ to prevent symptomatic travellers from boarding flights to Canada, Mr Trudeau said.
The prime minister said he has informed G7 partners of the new rules.
Only four Canadian airports – in Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver – will be accepting international flights beginning Wednesday.
“As the virus continues its spread, we’ve decided to take increasingly aggressive steps to keep you and your families safe,” Mr Trudeau said.
Canada had at least 324 confirmed cases of Covid-19 across all 10 provinces as of Monday morning. There are an additional 17 presumptive cases. One death has been linked to the disease.
“If you’re abroad, it’s time for you to come home,” said Mr Trudeau, speaking on Monday outside his residence.
He is in self-isolation after his wife, Sophie, tested positive last week for the coronavirus.
There will be an assistance programme implemented for asymptomatic Canadians abroad to help them pay for their return if needed.
On Friday, Canada asked citizens to avoid all non-essential travel and urged travellers to return home where possible.
All returning Canadians are being asked to self-isolate for two weeks.
Some provinces and cities have implemented their own measures to prevent contagion.
A number of provinces have temporarily closed public schools, as have the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Over the weekend, Quebec – where there are approximately 39 cases – asked establishments such as bars, cinemas, arenas, spas and gyms to close indefinitely. Restaurants were asked to operate at 50% capacity.
