To the point
Justin Trudeau's government has clarified its intentions to ease constraints for travellers flying into the country, starting August 9.
Updated July 19, 2021
As of August 9, 2021, the mandatory 3-day hotel stay will be eliminated for all travellers already authorized to enter the country, as well as U.S. citizens. Travellers who are not fully vaccinated will still be required to undergo day one and day eight screening and a 14-day quarantine.
As of September 7, 2021, nationals of other countries will be able to enter Canada under similar rules.
Since July 5 at 11:59 pm, there was already no more 3-day stay mandatory hotel quarantinel for fully vaccinated Canadian citizens (2 doses). In addition, Canada’s Minister of Health, Patty Hajdu, announced on Monday, June 21, that those who have received their two doses of the vaccine will no longer be required to undergo mandatory quarantine if they are negative and will no longer be required to test for COVID-19 on the eighth day of their arrival.
The vaccine may have been given in any country, but the proof of vaccination must be in English or French or accompanied by a certified translation. Travellers must retain paper or electronic copies of their immunization documents (and for 14 days after entering Canada).
Travellers will still be required to submit their information through the government’s ArriveCAN application prior to their arrival in Canada. In the coming weeks, it will be possible to upload documents to this application.
The Government of Canada is moving towards the introduction of a vaccine passport (or health pass as in Europe) to facilitate travel to the United States and Europe.
This is valid for all persons who are currently authorized to enter Canada:
- Canadian citizens,
- permanent residents,
- essential workers,
- international students,
- new immigrants,
- the immediate family (father or mother) of citizens and residents, even if they are foreigners
For tourists, the mandatory hotel stay on arrival will still apply. For travellers who are not fully vaccinated or who have not met the mandatory entry requirements, the border measures currently in place remain unchanged.
Testing for COVID-19 will still be required for all prior to travel to Canada and upon arrival in Canada. Then, isolation at home is required until the result is obtained. If the result is negative, the quarantine ends. However, Ottawa requires that the traveller have a quarantine plan in place in case the test is positive.
This means that the current 14-day quarantine could be reduced to 24-72 hours (the time it takes to get the test result upon arrival in Canada).
Vaccines accepted by the government on arrival will be those approved by Health Canada (AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Janssen).
Minister Bill Blair announced last Friday that the Canada-U.S. land border will remain closed to non-essential travel until July 21 and that such travel is still not recommended.
Travellers will be required to show proof of vaccination – still to be determined by the Federal Government and the Border Services Agency. Perhaps they will be inspired by the health pass implemented in France and throughout Europe.
A temporary solution for this evidence will be put in place starting in July and the federal government will present a permanent solution in the fall.
The question that has come up most often since the June 9th announcement to our community has been how it would work for a family with unvaccinated children under the age of 12. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said last Friday that it’s a problem and there’s no solution right now.
With this announcement, the Canadian government is taking a cautious and slow approach to a sustainable recovery. But it’s still a start!
Come to discuss that topic in our Facebook Group!
