The government of Canada, led by Prime Minister Trudeau will be putting forward new measures for travelers inbound as safety measures against COVID-19.
After weeks of being pressured by a couple of provinces, it was announced by the Prime Minister on 29th January 2021 in a bid to tighten up travel restrictions.
Effective Sunday, January 31until April 30, Airlines like Sunwing, Air Canada, Air Transat, and WestJet will be suspending flights to the Caribbean and other ‘sun’ destinations. Upcoming week onward, international flights will be allowed to land only in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, and Calgary.
On arrival, travelers will be required to take the Polymerase Chain Reaction test for COVID-19 and will be accommodated in a designated hotel instructed by the federal government.
This stay, however, shall be for three days until the test results come in and the expenses will be borne by individual travelers. The expense of the test is estimated to be $2,000. If the test result is negative, Travelers will quarantine at home for eleven more days in case the test result is negative. Travelers with a positive test result shall stay at a government facility.
The Prime Minister also announced that the travelers arriving from the borderland of the United States to Canada will be tested on arrival. With the emergence of a recent infectious strain of COVID, International travelers are on the radar, particularly those arriving from the United Kingdom, Brazil, and South Africa. The new measures will curb travel and safeguard the health of Canadian nationals, specifically in the upcoming spring.
The government has urged Canadians to reschedule all future travel plans that are not essential. Trudeau has also suggested some additional measures like imposing rapid testing at all airports on travelers returning and mandatory has overseen quarantine at designated hotels.
Since March travel to Canada has been strictly regulated and is being monitored strictly, being subject to extensions. The travel ban on the US and foreign non-essential travel will be in effect until February 21, 2021.
Canadian citizens and certain international students, temporary foreign workers remain exempt from these restrictions. International air travelers who are five years or older by age have to provide proof of a negative PCR test conducted within 72 hrs of planned departure to Canada.
The 14-day quarantine plan is to be prepared much before arrival and should include details of the location and procedure of the same. The ArriveCAN app will have to be used by travelers to transport their information to the border service officers.
It will also guide them on complying with COVID-19 measures. The mandatory application will ensure daily self-assessments and enable the quarantine process to be completed.
In a couple of recent press conferences, the Prime Minister did confirm that vaccines will be continued despite the measures taken by the European Union in limiting the export abroad and manufacturing delays. It has been reiterated that the government is absolutely on track and will ensure the availability of the vaccine for everyone by September.
Highlighting the effectiveness of Canada’s Trudeau led government’s travel restrictions; research showed out of all the COVID cases in Canada, only 2% is due to inbound travelers.
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