It’s about to become a little trickier to visit the United States. President Joe Biden’s administration says that, starting some time next week, all in-bound international passengers will have to take a COVID-19 test within 24 hours of their departure. They’re also taking action to increase vaccination rates in the States, and extending the mask mandate for domestic flights and public transportation to March 18, 2022. The changes were announced Thursday as part of a broader plan to bolster the nation’s arsenal of tools in its fight against the virus as the world enters its third year of the pandemic, Read more
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The government of Canada says arriving passengers at Canadian airports may need to isolate for three days while they await COVID-19 test results. The Trudeau government on Tuesday announced that all travellers coming into Canada from countries other than the U.S. will have to be tested for COVID-19 on arrival, even if they’re fully vaccinated. They also will have to isolate while they await their test results. The on-arrival test is in addition to the PCR test that Ottawa requires travellers to take within 72 hours of their scheduled flight departure for Canada. Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos on Wednesday said Read more
Multiple reports out of the U.S. today suggest top officials in the Biden administration are considering a law that would require anyone who enters the country to be tested for COVID-19 the day before their flight. The U.S. also is considering forcing all travellers, including American citizens, to be tested again after they arrive, even if they ‘re fully vaccinated. CNN said top U.S. officials “were deliberating the potential changes Tuesday night and no final decisions have been made.” But the network also said the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed in a statement that the agency is Read more
Canadian government testing rules are too expensive for families and are simply “irrational,” critics suggest. The Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable, speaking on behalf of families and the business community across Canada, are asking the Trudeau government to remove “unnecessary and non-science-based obstacles to international travel,” such as the pre-departure PCR test for fully vaccinated travellers, which it says disproportionately impact average Canadian families. The Roundtable also is calling on the government to amend the discriminatory child policy for travelling minors. For the average Canadian family, travel is becoming increasingly difficult. The burdensome cost of a PCR test can add Read more
Canada’s new vaccination rules for travel are now in effect. As the Government of Canada announced on August 13, travellers in the federally regulated air and rail sectors will need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Transport Canada issued the final orders and guidance to airlines and railways to implement the new rules for travellers, which went into effect at 3 a.m. EDT today (October 30, 2021). The vaccination requirements will apply to all travellers 12 years of age plus four months who are: Air passengers flying on domestic, transborder, or international flights departing from certain airports in Canada; and Read more
