Canada junior field hockey team to return home after being stranded in South Africa due to Omicron
Strict travel rules by the Canadian Government to limit the spread of the new variant, Omicron prompted the national junior field hockey team to seek an exemption to return home.
The team was in South Africa for the Junior World Cup, now postponed due to the rise of Omicron cases.
To return home, they must take a molecular test in South Africa, such as a PCR test. Then, they were required to take another test while landing in Germany, something German officials would not allow them to do.
After hearing from many Canadians pleading to bring them home, Ottawa allowed the team to skip that test in Germany and take one as soon as they touch down in Canada.
Danielle Husar told CTV News the team is thankful they can now return home, while transiting through Germany.
“Then following that, (we will have to) do a 14-day quarantine,” said Husar.
“Those are the measures that we currently have to follow. It is understandable for the situation, and we are all willing to do that as long as we can get home safely and as soon as possible.”
The players are from Ontario, B.C. and Alberta, including two University of Calgary students.
South Africa is one of ten countries under Canada’s travel ban.
Husar says the restrictions have taken a toll on her teammates.
“We had a lot of people back home sending messages to people in the high positions of power asking and demanding that these exemptions be made because we were being blocked out of our own country by these restrictions,” she said.
“So the fact they heard what we had to say, listened and put this exemption into place - is very reassuring.”
Husar says the team is booked on a flight for Wednesday through Lufthansa to return home.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
opinion I've been a criminal attorney for decades. Here's what I think about the case against Trump
Joey Jackson, a criminal defence attorney and a legal analyst for CNN, outlines what he thinks about the criminal case against Donald Trump in the 'hush money trial.'
$3.8M home in B.C.'s Okanagan has steel shell for extra wildfire protection
A home in B.C.'s Okanagan that features a weathering steel shell designed to provide some protection against wildfires has been listed for sale at $3.8 million.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
Celebrity designer sentenced to 18 months in prison for smuggling crocodile handbags
A leading fashion designer whose accessories were used by celebrities from Britney Spears to the cast of the 'Sex and the City' TV series was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty in Miami federal court on charges of smuggling crocodile handbags from her native Colombia.
Wildfire leads to evacuation order issued for northeast Alberta community
An evacuation order was issued on Monday afternoon for homes in the area of Cold Lake First Nation.