The government of Canada is making it that much easier for travellers to come to Canada, with the goal of boosting tourism across the country.
The federal government announced yesterday that effective April 1, fully vaccinated travellers will no longer need to provide a pre-entry COVID-19 test result to enter Canada by air, land or water.
Previously, vaccinated travellers had to take a pre-arrival rapid antigen test no more than one day before their scheduled flight or arrival, which had to be administered by a lab or a pharmacy. Before that, travellers had to show proof of a negative PCR test within 72 hours of their departure or arrival.
"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,” said Federal Minister of Health, Jean-Yves Duclos.
“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,” adds Duclos.
For partially or unvaccinated travellers, pre-entry testing requirements are not changing. That means all travellers over the age of 5 must provide either a negative rapid antigen test, a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours, or a previous positive PCR test taken between 10 and 180 days prior to their flight.
As well, travellers arriving into Canada may still need to take a COVID-19 test if they’re selected for mandatory random testing, but you no longer have to quarantine while waiting for your test results.
All travellers continue to be required to submit their mandatory information in the ArriveCAN app or website before their arrival in Canada. Travellers taking a cruise or a plane must submit their information within 72 hours before boarding.
Those who do not may have to quarantine for 14 days, regardless of their vaccination status. Previously, not completing the ArriveCAN app lead to you not being allowed entry into the country.
"Decreasing COVID-19 case counts, coupled with Canada's high vaccination rates and strict vaccination requirements for travel, have set the stage for the next steps in our Government's cautious and calibrated approach to safely easing the measures at our border,” said Federal Minister of Transport, Omar Alghabra.
“Lifting the pre-entry testing requirements for travellers to Canada will make it easier for Canadians to safely take advantage of emerging opportunities for personal and business travel, as Canada's transportation system recovers from the pandemic,” adds Alghabra.
Residents are asked not to travel if they have any symptoms of COVID-19, are in isolation, are waiting for the results of a COVID-19 test or have been in close contact with a suspected or confirmed case.
Ottawa says if you start to feel COVID-19 symptoms after travelling, self-isolate for 10 days and follow local public health advice regarding seeking care or medical treatment. They add that wait times can be expected at border crossings.