A top union official is warning that there could be “significant delays” at Canada border points if travel picks up dramatically in the wake of travel restrictions being eased. Mark Weber, national president of the Customs and Immigration Union, said border agents are already slammed, and that a signiicant increase in travel will make things worse. The Canadian government announced on Monday that travel restrictions will be lifted on Saturday, October 1. That means an end to mandatory vaccinations for coming into Canada, no quarantine for sick visitors and no random testing. The controversial ArriveCAN app also will become optional Read more
Canada
Nova Scotia put out this information today. I’m reprinting it here in the public interest. “The efforts to clean up following Hurricane Fiona are well underway; however, some areas of the province suffered significant impact and there continue to be wide-spread power outages. We are thinking of all the tourism operators who may have suffered damage or are struggling to get their businesses reopened following the storm.” Below is information that may be of use to locals and travellers. Disaster Financial Assistance for Hurricane Fiona The Province has launched the Disaster Financial Assistance Program to help households, small businesses and Read more
Airlines, cruise companies and other tourism-related groups are welcoming the announcement that Canada will end all travel restrictions and end the Canadian mask mandate for planes and trains on Saturday, October 1. The Trudeau government today announced that mandatory vaccination rules will end on that date, as will random border testing of travellers. Ottawa also is making the controversial ArriveCAN app optional, and ending the requirement for masks on airplanes and trains. “Air Canada welcomes the removal of these restrictions, acknowledging that air travel is safe and that the measures were not justified by science,” We believe it will greatly Read more
A day many Canadians thought might never arrive is coming next week. The Government of Canada today announced the removal of all COVID-19 entry restrictions, as well as testing, quarantine, and isolation requirements for anyone entering Canada, effective October 1, 2022. Masks also will no longer be required on trains and planes in Canada. The removal of border measures has been facilitated by a number of factors, including modelling that indicates that Canada has largely passed the peak of the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 fuelled wave, Canada’s high vaccination rates, lower hospitalization and death rates, as well as the availability Read more
After more than two and-a-half years of strict COVID-19 controls, the government of Hong Kong says it’s putting an end to mandatory quarantine rules for international travellers. CNN reports that under rules that come into play on Monday, September 26, incoming travellers will be required to undergo three days of self-monitoring on arrival. Travellers will not be allowed to visit certain places during that period, including restaurants and bars. They’ll also have to take PCR tests on days, two, four and six after arriving, followed by another rapid antigen test. It’s still a fair bit of control, but it’s a Read more
