Canada has eased more COVID travel rules. Here’s what’s new


On Monday, Canada is lifting more COVID-19 border rules for fully vaccinated travelers and young children.

The federal government says the decision to lift pandemic travel restrictions are part of a “risk-based and measured approach” for eligible travellers.

Earlier this month, Canada scrapped pre-entry COVID-19 tests for fully vaccinated travelers arriving in Canada by air, land or water.

Here’s what’s changing on Monday, April 25.

No more COVID tests for young children under 12

Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated children aged five to 11 who are accompanied by a fully vaccinated parent, step-parent, guardian or tutor no longer need a pre-entry COVID test in order to enter Canada. Fully vaccinated children don’t need to provide COVID test results for entry into Canada.

To qualify as a fully vaccinated traveler, you need to have received at least two doses of a COVID vaccine approved for travel, a combination of two accepted vaccines, or at least one dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine. You must have received your second dose at least 14 days prior to entry to Canada.

Children younger than five years of age do not need a COVID-19 test result in order to gain entry into Canada.

Eligible travelers 12 years old and older who are partially or unvaccinated still require a pre-entry COVID-19 test.

Quarantine plans no longer required

If you’re an eligible, fully vaccinated traveler, you will no longer be asked to provide a quarantine plan when you enter the country. This requirement is also being scrapped for children ages five to 11 who are traveling with a fully vaccinated adult like a parent or guardian.

Additionally, all fully vaccinated travelers will no longer be required to provide a quarantine plan upon entry. This requirement will also be removed for children aged five to 11 who are accompanied by a fully vaccinated parent, step-parent, guardian, or guardian and travelers who have a medical exemption to the COVID vaccine.

Eliminating post-arrival requirements, including masking

Canada is also doing away with a number of requirements that travelers were previously required to do for 14 days after entry into the country.

Starting April 25, fully vaccinated travelers arriving in Canada are no longer required to:

  • Wear a mask in public spaces (after their journey, masks are still required on-board flights/ships)
  • Monitor and report if they develop symptoms or exhibit signs of COVID-19
  • Quarantine if someone else in your travel group shows symptoms of COVID or tests positive
  • Contact tracing, including keeping a list of close contacts and locations that you visited

Masks are still required

Despite US Airline carriers dropping their mask mandates after a Florida judge struck down the CDC’s requirements to mask on public transportation, Canada maintains that all travellers, regardless of vaccination status, must also continue to wear a mask throughout their entire travel journey on a flight or to ship. Canada says travelers will be informed by government officials at the border when they can take remove their masks.

There are limited exemptions to the mask mandates, such as for children under the age of six, people who are unable to remove masks without assistance or people who have medical exemptions.

Masks must be worn throughout the entire journey on plans and trains, except while eating, drinking or taking oral medication.

ArriveCAN

All travelers are still required to submit their contact and travel information through the ArriveCAN app or website within 72 hours of arriving in Canada or before boarding a plane or cruise ship arriving in Canada.

Arrive CAN still travelers to submit their vaccination information and proof of vaccination status requires, where applicable.

Fully vaccinated travelers who fail to submit their information into ArriveCAN won’t qualify as fully vaccinated travelers and may have to submit a pre-entry test result or undergo testing in Canada. They also may face additional delays at the border, questioning by public health, or fines and other enforcement actions.

Mandatory random testing now focused at four Canadian airports

“As of part of the Government of Canada’s plans to move toward a more sustainable approach to COVID-19 travel requirements, mandatory randomized testing has been refocused to four major Canadian airports — Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal,” said the Public Health Agency of Canada.

The agency says that mandatory random testing for fully vaccinated travelers provides critical data on COVID-19 on people entering the country, are an important part of surveilling for new variants of concern.

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