No COVID-19 Test Needed for Fully Vaccinated Canadians Entering the US After Nov. 8, Lawmaker Says

WASHINGTON – Fully vaccinated Canadians entering the U.S. through land borders beginning Nov. 8 will not be required to provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 test, a U.S. lawmaker said in a statement Saturday morning .

As the US government prepares to fully reopen to travelers from Canada and around the world, information on exactly how and what will be required has been pouring in in the form of dribbling and monotonous. Last week, the rules for air travelers were clarified, including proof of vaccination and the requirement for a recent negative COVID-19 test.

On Friday, the US Department of Homeland Security posted a “fact sheet” on its website on how the new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control will be applied at land borders. As of November 8 the guide saysTravelers not considered “essential” who enter the country by land or sea must present proof of complete vaccination, as they will when arriving by air.

There is a temporary exemption from the vaccine requirement for those “essential” travelers who have already been allowed to cross for a long time, until January 2022.

Testing requirements are not directly addressed in the new fact sheet. Congressman Brian Higgins, who represents the border area around Buffalo, New York and who chairs the Congressional Northern Border Caucus, said in a statement Saturday morning that officials confirmed to his office that no such requirement will be implemented. .

“US Customs and Border Protection confirmed to Congressman Higgins’s office that, unlike the new air travel rules, vaccinated travelers entering the United States by land on or after November 8 do not they will be required to produce a negative COVID test, “the statement read. said. A member of Higgins’ office staff told The Star that this information had been “confirmed and reconfirmed” in several email exchanges with border officials, because it is one of the most important outstanding questions his office has been answering.

A query to Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security about the testing requirements was not immediately responded to. A difference in testing requirements at different types of ports of entry would not be unusual – currently licensed air travelers in and out of the US have long faced a testing requirement that is officially administered by airlines, while there is no such requirement for those who are allowed to cross land borders. Experts who have spoken to The Star in recent weeks have speculated that while US officials have placed responsibility for the logistics of police test results on airlines, they likely do not want to impose the same burden on airlines. land border agents.

However, Canadians traveling to the US by any means of transportation will continue to face a testing requirement for re-entry to Canada: the Canadian government requires a negative PCR test or molecular test taken within 72 hours. hours after the time of entry. Bill Blair, until recently the Minister of Public Safety, has said that this requirement is expected to remain in effect until the reopening of the United States, although it may be revised in time depending on public health guidelines.

Previous new guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control that were announced with the rules for air travelers clarified that children under the age of 18 would be exempt from the new vaccine requirements and that the U.S. government would recognize vaccines. available in Canada, including “mixed dose” versions as approximately 4 million Canadians have received.



Reference-www.thestar.com

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