Canada reports its first cases of a new coronavirus variant

Authorities in Canada’s most populous province confirmed the first known Canadian cases of a more contagious coronavirus variant, first identified in the UK.

The provincial chief medical officer on Saturday said the cases were of a couple in the Durham area, east of Toronto, with no known history of travel, exposure or high-risk contacts.

“This further reinforces the need for Ontarians to stay at home as long as possible and continue to follow all public health advice, including stopping measures across the province as of today,” said Dr. Barbara Yaffe, of according to CBC News.

The new variant is believed to spread more easily and faster than the original version of the disease, but it is not considered more deadly.

The provincial government said in a press release that there is no evidence to suggest that vaccines approved by Health Canada and in other countries around the world will be less effective against the new variant. The variant was first identified in the UK, but has since been detected in several other countries, including Denmark, France, Belgium, Australia and the Netherlands.

Meanwhile, the government of Japan will temporarily ban all non-resident foreigners as a precaution against the new coronavirus variant.

The entry ban will start on Monday and runs until January 31, for now, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement late on Saturday.

Japan banned non-resident foreigners from Britain and South Africa last week, but is further intensifying border control after confirming the new variant on seven people in the past two days – five returnees from Britain – Britain that did tests at airports and two others in Tokyo.

Japan is also lifting 14-day quarantine exemptions for Japanese citizens and foreigners residing in a short-term program that began in November. Participants must now carry proof of a negative test 72 hours before departure to Japan and isolate themselves for two weeks after arrival, the ministry said.