The government of Canada is easing border rules for those who are fully vaccinated and for children, regardless of their vaccination status.
“Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated children aged 5-11 who are accompanied by a fully vaccinated parent, step-parent, guardian or tutor will no longer be required to complete a pre-entry COVID-19 test for entry to Canada,” the Trudeau government announced. “Pre-entry tests will still be required for partially vaccinated or unvaccinated travellers 12 and older who are currently eligible to travel to Canada. Children under 5 years of age are not required to provide a COVID-19 test result.:
The changes were announced by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) today (April 22), and the rules take effect on Monday.
“Additionally, all fully vaccinated travellers will no longer be required to provide a quarantine plan upon entry,” PHAC said in a news release. “This requirement will also be removed for children aged 5-11 who are accompanied by a fully vaccinated parent, step-parent, guardian, or tutor and travellers with a medical contraindication to a COVID-19 vaccine.
Furthermore, fully vaccinated travellers arriving to Canada on or after April 25, 2022, will no longer be federally required to do the following for 14 days after arriving:
- mask while in public spaces;
- monitor and report if they develop signs or symptoms;
- quarantine if another traveller in the same travel group exhibits signs or symptoms or tests positive; and
- maintain a list of close contacts and locations visited.
As a reminder, all travellers are still required to use ArriveCAN (free mobile app or website) to provide mandatory travel information within 72 hours of their arrival to Canada and/or before boarding a plane or cruise ship destined for Canada, including:
- contact and travel information, and
- vaccination information and proof of vaccination (if applicable).
Fully vaccinated travellers who do not submit their information into ArriveCAN:
- won’t be eligible for the fully vaccinated traveller exemption (i.e., they may have to submit a pre-entry test result and suitable quarantine plan, quarantine and undergo testing in Canada);
- may face additional delays at the border for public health questioning; and
- may be subject to fines or other enforcement action.
All travellers, regardless of vaccination status, must also continue to wear a mask throughout their entire travel journey.
While some federal requirements are being lifted for certain eligible travellers, all travellers entering Canada by air, land or water must adhere to the federal requirements along with those outlined by their province or territory.
While Canada is relaxing it rules, the United States appears to be going in the other direction, at least for now.
“The gradual easing of restrictions for travellers is part of our balanced and science-based approach to managing COVID-19 and its variants,” said Omar Alghabra, Canada’s Minister of Transport. “Although some restrictions may be easing, air and rail travellers are reminded that they are still required to wear a mask throughout their travel journey. Wearing a mask offers an extra layer of protection for you and your fellow travellers, and will help keep Canadians, workers and our transportation system safe.”
