Trudeau Says The Omicron Situation 'Sucks' & People Entering Canada Will 'Face Extra Barriers'

As the country and the world deals with the Omicron variant, Justin Trudeau said that the situation "sucks" especially around this time of year and warned that travellers will "face extra barriers" now.

While speaking in Ottawa after a new international travel advisory was announced on December 15, the prime minister was asked what his message is to Canadians who are planning to travel domestically during the holidays.

"I understand this sucks," Trudeau said. "Nobody wants to see Omicron arriving."

He mentioned that the federal government has implemented an advisory that warns against non-essential trips outside of the country right now because it regulates international travel, not domestic travel.

"Anyone coming back to Canada or coming into Canada is going to face extra barriers on testing," Trudeau said.

With the current travel restrictions, all air travellers coming to Canada from countries other than the U.S. have to take a COVID-19 test at the airport they land in no matter their vaccination status.

There are also other testing and quarantine requirements along with entry bans for certain travellers.

Canada's top doctor has said that certain travel rules in effect need to be "revisited" and "reexamined" since the Omicron variant is already in Canada.

"This is not what anyone wanted for our Christmas holidays. Not much in the last year and a half has been what anybody wanted," the prime minister said.

He also noted that people can have a good holiday season while still staying safe.

Earlier in the week, Trudeau revealed he'll be keeping his Christmas plans lowkey as COVID-19 cases rise in Canada. He's going to be spending time with his family at their house.

"Other families will make the decisions that are right for them," he said at the time.