Justin Trudeau, Canadian Prime Minister, announced this new measure to take effect from next week.
Canada has mandated a negative COVID-19 result for travelers. This applies to all those wanting to cross borders before 15th Feb.
Justin Trudeau, Canadian Prime Minister, said that the test should be been done within 72 hours. He has further mandated it to be a Polymerase Chain Reaction also known as a PCR test.
Travelers wanting to cross the border without a negative COVID-19 test might be fined or refused entry. Fines can go up to $3,000.
These measures are like those that were required for air travelers in January.
Travelers traveling by airplane will need to take a COVID-19 test on arrival. They will need to stay in a hotel for three days as they wait for their results. Trudeau opined that this would cost travelers about $2,000.
Hotels need to offer transportation to and from the airport. They must deliver food to the traveler’s room. These are some of the instructions for hotels mentioned on the official government website. The commencing date for this measure has not been released.
These tests are to be done irrespective of the 14-day quarantine phase for all coming to Canada. This two-week period includes three days that air travelers will spend in a hotel. Canada Travelers need to download a mobile application named ArriveCAN app.
At present, four Canadian airports are allowing entry of international travelers. These are Calgary International, Toronto Pearson International, Vancouver International, and Montreal-Trudeau International Airport. Per instructions, Canadian airlines have cut services to the Caribbean and Mexico.
Studies show that 2% of coronavirus cases in Canada happened due to international travel. Trudeau claimed that this was partly due to travel restrictions.
Travel has been reduced to Canada by air and land. As of January 31, there was a year-over-year decrease of about 88% in land-border crossings. There was a 92% decrease in air travel crossings per statistics provided by Canadian Border Services Agency.
Foreign nationals are permitted entry to Canada either to reunite with family or only for essential reasons. Canada’s travel restrictions are in place until February 21. They are expected to undergo renewal. Canada has had travel restrictions since March last year.
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