Less than 24 hours after Egypt declared, in late November, that no cases of the new COVID-19 variant Omicron have been detected in Egypt, Canada announced that travellers arriving from Egypt and several other countries would not be permitted to enter Canada. The decision was implemented immediately upon its announcement to the public, with no buffer time given to travellers who had already left the country. On Sunday, 12 December, multiple Egyptian Members of Parliament voiced their disappointment on Canada’s decision to ban travel from Egypt and other African countries. Indeed, Canada is noted for having a large Egyptian community in Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver. Frustrated at the sudden decision, many Egyptians living in Canada angrily took to social media to voice their discontent. Others went on to describe the inhumane treatment that those coming from Egypt experienced as soon as they reached Canada, in addition to taking three time-consuming and expensive PCR tests for their journey outbound from Egypt: first, a PCR in Egypt, second, at a different country, and a third in Canada. Upon arriving at the Canadian airport, travellers were told to stay at a nearby…
Egyptian-Canadians Speak Up Against Ill-Treatment Upon Arrival in Canada
December 13, 2021
