Canada on Wednesday advised its citizens to avoid all non-essential overseas travel amid the rapidly growing number of cases of the omicron variant of the coronavirus both in the North American country and the rest of the world.

Canadian Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos announced the decision at a press conference in Ottawa and acknowledged that the measure is “drastic” but also necessary to avoid the possible collapse of Canadian hospitals.

“The rapid growth of the omicron variant globally makes us fear the worst,” he explained.

Duclos addressed Canadians planning to travel abroad over the Christmas holidays, saying “now is not the time to travel”.

Ante la pregunta de si Canada volverá a prohibir la entrada al país de extranjeros, como sucedió el año pasado dure los peores meses de la pandemia, Duclos aseguró que el Gobierno Canadiense “seguirá vigilando la situation” y que adoptará “las better actions” in each moment.

Also today, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canadians will need to think carefully about their decisions during the holidays.

The decision by Canadian authorities comes as the number of coronavirus cases in Canada has increased by 33% in the past seven days.

Although the number of hospitalizations increased by only 3% during the same period, experts point out that the large number of infections that the omicron variant seems to be able to generate, even among people vaccinated with the schedule complete, can lead to the collapse of hospitals in the coming weeks if no action is taken.