Multiple reports say the Canadian government will end PCR test requirementw for fully vaxxed Canadians, probably by the end of February. CTV News says a senior government source said Ottawa will change the rules so that fully vaccinated Canadians will only need to show proof of a negative rapid antigen test to get back into the country, rather than a PCR test. The network said the Trudeau government is “set to remove those requirements at the end of the month.” The CBC says its sources also indicate the move is imminent. The current rules require travellers coming into Canada to Read more
Canadians
Canada’s chief health officer says provincial vaccine passports and other health measures need to be “re-examined” as Canada deals with the Omicron variant. Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam said Friday that Canada needs to find a more “sustainable” way to deal with COVID-19 and that all existing public health policies, including provincial vaccine passports, need to be “re-examined” in the coming weeks, the CBC reports. “What we need to do going forward, as we emerge out of this Omicron wave, is recognize this virus is not going to disappear,” she said. “We do need to get back to Read more
The latest poll from the Angus Reid Institute finds a strong majority of Canadians want community restrictions lifted. The latest poll, taken Jan. 27-28, found 54% want restrictions to be lifted compared to just 39% who wanted restrictions lifted when the same question was asked two weeks earlier, the non-profit institute said. “With Omicron now appearing to have peaked, many Canadians are leaning toward reducing restrictions related to COVID-19 control in Canada,” the group said in a statement on its website. The survey found that 32% of Canadians strongly agree with the statement that “It’s time to end restrictions and Read more
Florida state tourism officials concede it’s been a rough go with the Omicron variant, but they’re optimistic that Canadians and other visitors will soon be heading south. According to the News Service of Florida and the Tampa Bay Times, Visit Florida President and CEO Dana Young said Wednesday that her group continues to market the Sunshine State as a winter destination in the U.S., and that they’re not slowing international efforts. Florida state economists last month slightly lowered expectations through the middle of 2022 for Canadian and overseas travellers, citing the Omicron variant as a potential brake on tourism growth. Read more
Canadians will soon be able to visit Israel again. At midnight January 9th, Israel is reopening to tourists and other visitors from Orange designated countries, including Canada. “Fully vaccinated people coming to Israel from a country on the ORANGE list must go into 24-hour isolation or isolate until they receive negative PCR or Rapid Test results, which must be taken at Ben Gurion International Airport, whichever is earlier. Testing is done at upon arrival, just following luggage claim, before exiting the terminal,” officials said. Referring to the abolition of isolation for vaccinated people returning from abroad and the return of Read more
