Whether you’ve traveled the world or stopped in the United States to fill up on gas, when you return to Canada, you must wear a face mask in public for 14 days.
However, the federal border requirement is now out of step with the rules in BC and nearly every other province, where wearing masks in indoor public spaces is no longer legally required.
Anyone entering Canada must also track all close contacts for two weeks and closely self-monitor for symptoms of COVID-19, according to Ottawa rules.
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Dr. Birinder Narang, a family physician in BC, said it’s important to monitor symptoms of the virus. However, tracking one’s close contacts for two weeks covers an incubation period that is “much longer” than any variant in recent months, he explained.
“I think the onus right now is on the federal government, if it says, ‘Hey, we need to have these restrictions,’ there needs to be some transparency, ‘Here’s the evidence why this is still working,'” Narang said. In an interview.
“I don’t think there is evidence, in which case it should be a recommendation.”
The information that travelers must follow is on the federal government website but it is not part of the email that all travelers receive a few days after arriving in Canada.
The requirement that those arriving in Canada wear a mask for 14 days also does not differentiate between indoor and outdoor spaces.
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Narang, who just returned to Canada from abroad, said the federal government should focus on giving people information about how they can protect themselves rather than advocating “outdated measures.”
“Going the next 14 days doesn’t make much sense. I am just as likely to be exposed at work next week, or anywhere else in the country, in a grocery store, even though I wear a mask,” he told Global News. “When you look at the federal mandates, we need to make sure we haven’t lost our way.”
Fully vaccinated travelers entering Canada no longer need to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test. However, anyone entering the country must complete travel information on the ArriveCan app, including a detailed quarantine plan.
Narang said the data collected by the ArriveCan app can be useful in planning for future pandemics.
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Reference-globalnews.ca