Travel Canada is urging Canadians to avoid all travel to Iran over the novel coronavirus outbreak.
In an updated travel advisory issued Thursday, the Canadian government said it is becoming “increasingly difficult” to leave the country.
The government says other risks include the “volatile security situation, the regional threat of terrorism and the possibility of arbitrary detention.”
“Canadians, particularly dual Canadian-Iranian citizens, are at risk of being arbitrarily questioned, arrested and detained. Iran does not recognize dual nationality and Canada will not be granted consular access to dual Canadian-Iranian citizens,” the advisory reads.
The updated travel advisory comes as Iran has reported 107 people have died of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.
Iran on Thursday also announced that authorities would be manning checkpoints to limit travel between major cities in the Islamic Republic as cases of the virus passed 3,500.
Asked by reporters on Thursday why Canada is not moving towards banning foreign nationals arriving from China, Iran or South Korea, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the country is making decisions based on recommendations from the World Health Organization.
“We recognize that there are countries that make different decisions,” Trudeau said at an event in Scarborough, Ont.
Trudeau added that there is a lot of misinformation surrounding the virus.
“There is a lot of knee-jerk reactions that aren’t keeping people safe,” he said.
READ MORE: Coronavirus — Trudeau creates new Cabinet committee to tackle COVID-19 outbreak
Trudeau’s remarks come a day after he announced the creation of a cabinet committee to help tackle the virus.
The committee, comprised of eight members, is chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland.
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