Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 01 Mar, 2022 10:51 AM
OTTAWA — The Canadian representative for the United Nations refugee agency, the UNHCR, says it's too early to begin to resettle Ukrainian refugees who have fled Russian aggression in their country by the thousands.
Rema Jamous says the scale of displacement from Ukraine is daunting, as some 500,000 people have already fled to neighbouring countries seeking safety.
If trends continue, the UNHCR estimates there could be as many as four million Ukrainian refugees.
Still, Jamous says most people who left Ukraine hope to return home when it is safe to do so.
In the meantime, she says, refugees inside and outside of Ukraine's borders will need humanitarian support, as current resources are likely to be depleted quickly.
The UNHCR will discuss resettlement options with countries like Canada at a later stage, but Jamous says typically the demand from people looking for a new home far outstrips the opportunities offered by governments.
Six Sikhs were killed in the August 5, 2012, attack in which four people, including a police officer, were injured and one person died last year from the wounds sustained in the shooting.
U.S.-based Novavax partnered with the Serum Institute of India to apply in the three countries, and plans later this month to also seek the World Health Organization review needed to be part of the COVAX global vaccine program.
The Biden administration has kept in place travel restrictions that have severely curtailed international trips to the U.S., citing the spread of the delta variant of the virus. Under the rules, non-U.S. residents who have been to China, the European Schengen area, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Brazil, South Africa and India in the prior 14 days are prohibited from entering the U.S.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control last week warned the Delta variant of the virus is so contagious, vaccinated people who do get infected could be just as big a risk to others as people who aren't vaccinated.
The new requirement, which will be phased in over several weeks in August and September, is the most aggressive step the city has taken yet to curb a surge in cases caused by the delta variant.
