Canada confirms two cases of new coronavirus variant

The two confirmed cases are a couple from Durham Region in Ontario, the most populous province of Canada. The couple have no known travel history, exposure or high-risk contacts, Xinhua news agency reported.

"This further reinforces the need for Ontarians to stay home as much as possible and continue to follow all public health advice, including the province-wide shutdown measures beginning today," the Ontario government said Saturday night.

Similarly, the Public Health Agency of Canada said as the two identified cases did not travel outside Canada, it is important to follow public health measures and limit contact with others, to reduce the transmission of the virus and any of its variants in communities.

The Canadian government banned all flights arriving from Britain on December 20 until January 6, 2021, in response to concerns over the Covid-19 variant.