Canada introduces hotel quarantine, suspends Caribbean and Mexico flights

© Cole Burston/Getty Images TORONTO, ON – APRIL 01: A passenger wheels his luggage near an Air Canada logo at Toronto Pearson International Airport on April 1, 2020 in Toronto, Canada. Air Canada announced it would temporarily lay off over 15,000 employees and reduce activity by up to 90 percent due to the coronavirus. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images)

To curb coronavirus transmission, Canada announced rules Friday to discourage international travel, especially during spring break.

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Most incoming travelers will be required to quarantine in government-approved hotels at their own expense, and flights to the sun-soaked Caribbean and Mexico will be suspended through April.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the announcement as his government responds to new and worrying variants identified in several provinces.

“As soon as possible in the coming weeks we will be introducing mandatory PCR testing at the airport for people returning to Canada. Travelers will then have to wait for up to three days at a government-approved hotel for their test results at their own expense,” Trudeau said during a press conference in Ottawa.

Those with negative results will quarantine at home “under significantly increased surveillance and enforcement,” he said. “Those with positive tests will be immediately required to quarantine in designated government facilities to make sure they’re not carrying variants of potential concern.”

These measures step up an existing mandatory 14-day quarantine for most travelers.

The suspension of flights on Canadian air carriers to the Caribbean and Mexico begins Sunday and is set to last through April.