Starting Feb. 28, fully vaccinated travellers will no longer have to take a PCR-style test to enter Canada.
Federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos today said travellers will still be required to take a pre-arrival test but will be allowed to make it a rapid antigen test, which can be purchased more easily than PCR tests, and are a fraction of the cost.
Those rapid tests will have to be taken with 24 hours of a scheduled departure to Canada or 24 hours before a traveller arrives at a Canadian land border crossing, Duclos said.
There were reports that the changes would be only for fully vaxxed Canadians, but Duclos said the policy applies to all travellers. That’s a huge distinction, and one that will help Canada’s beleaguered tourism and travel industry by making it easier to travel to Canada.
Federal Tourism Minister Randy Boissonnault thanked the industry for its patience during the pandemic, and said Canada is “welcoming travellers for the all-important summer season.”
Duclose said Canada will move back to random testing at airports, a policy that was in place prior to the Omicron variant. Fully vaccinated travelleres who are randomly selected for a post-arrival test will no longer have to quarantine while awaiting test results, he said.
Non-vaccinated travellers will still face post-arrival testing and will have to quarantine for 14 days.
Also starting March 1, unvaccinated children returning to Canada will no longer have to isolate for 14 days from schools or day care centres.
Duclos also said Canada is moving its travel advisory from level 3 to level 2, meaning it’s no longer recommending Canadians avoid all non-essential travel. That’s also a big win for the industry, although the minister cautioned that Canadians should still exercise caution while travelling abroad. He also said travellers will still have to use the ArriveCAN app before coming into the country.
“Today I’m announcing we are easing our border measures,” Duclos said. “It is time to adjust our approach.”
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra today said new testing rules for cruise passengers coming into Canada will come into effect prior to the start of the cruise season in spring.
Alghabra also announced that as of Feb. 28, all Canadian airports that normally receive international flights will once again be able to do so. Currently, only 18 accept international arrivals, CTV News reports.
“It’s good news for communities like Windsor, London, Fort McMurray, Moncton and many others. By receiving international flights, this will support local tourism, create good jobs, and grow our economy,” Alghabra said.
