Beginning today, vaccinated travellers will be able to enter Canada without having to undergo a COVID-19 test.
According to the Tourism Industry Association of Canada, the change will result in an increase in both inbound and outbound travel bookings, though it is unlikely to reach pre-pandemic levels. People may still be randomly tested when they enter, and anyone arriving from outside the country is required to wear a mask in public for 14 days.
Unvaccinated visitors will be tested upon arrival and again eight days later and will be quarantined for two weeks. Unvaccinated Canadians and other travellers who are exempt from the vaccine requirement must still show a negative COVID-19 test or proof that enough time has passed since an illness to enter the country.
Although the travel and tourist industry is pleased about the shift, there is a chance that border restrictions will be reinstated in response to increased occurrences of a more contagious subvariant of Omicron.
To be considered completely vaccinated, you must have received at least two doses of a government-approved Covid-19 vaccine or at least one dose of the Janssen/Johnson & Johnson vaccine. A combination of two authorised Covid-19 vaccinations is also considered completely immunised.
“Adjustments to Canada’s border measures are made possible by a number of factors, including Canada’s high vaccination rate, the increasing availability and use of rapid tests to detect infection, decreasing hospitalizations and growing domestic availability of treatments for Covid-19. As vaccination levels and healthcare system capacity improve, we will continue to consider further easing of measures at the borders. and when to adjust those measures, to keep the people in Canada safe,”
said Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health in a press release.
It should be noted that anyone entering Canada, even if fully vaccinated, must still complete the ArriveCAN app questionnaire 72 hours before entering the country. You must answer a series of questions and upload a digital copy of your immunisation proof in either English or French.
Furthermore, unvaccinated or partially vaccinated Canadians are required to take the Covid test. You will be given a molecular test upon arrival and again on the eighth day in Canada. In addition, you must quarantine for 14 days. A pre-entry test is not required for children under the age of five. Foreign nationals who have been fully vaccinated may be allowed to enter Canada for discretionary (tourism) travel.
Foreign nationals who are not completely vaccinated, on the other hand, will be allowed to enter only in limited circumstances, such as international students or temporary foreign workers. Canadians may still be required to take a Covid test before flying to other countries, as some still have testing mandates, so do your homework ahead of time.
You are also considered fully immunised if you have received a combination of two recognised COVID-19 vaccinations. As a caution, international visitors coming to Canada from any country who are fully vaccinated may be required to undergo a Covid-19 molecular test upon arrival if they are chosen for obligatory random testing. Travellers who are selected for mandatory random testing are not compelled to quarantine themselves while waiting for the results of their tests.
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