Mandatory COVID-19 testing of international travellers now in effect in Ontario

International travellers will have to take a COVID-19 test upon arrival in Ontario starting today.

It’s a step in the province’s plan to stop contagious new variants of the virus from further infiltrating the province.

The Ontario government announced the plan on Friday, the same day the federal government announced a similar program that’s to take effect in the coming weeks.

Premier Doug Ford praised the prime minister for announcing the new federal testing plan, but said Ontario would conduct its own traveller testing until Ottawa’s program kicked in.

The testing order comes into effect today at Toronto’s Pearson International airport, and will also eventually apply to the province’s land border crossings to the United States.