The federal government today announced an end to mandatory vaccination for Canadians travelling domestically on airplanes and trains, and also for outbound international travel. Senior ministers in the Trudeau government said foreign travellers will still need to show proof of vaccination to enter Canada, while unvaccinated Canadians returning home will still be required to quarantine. The new rules will take effect Monday, June 20. Other entry requirements will stay in place, including the requirement to fill out the government’s ArriveCAN app. Masks will still be required on airplanes, large ships, and trains, officials said. Foreign nationals coming to Canada will Read more
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The Canadian government is temporarily halting random COVID-19 testing of incoming international passengers at Canadian airports. Random testing at airports will be temporarily suspended at all airports starting on Saturday, June 11 until June 30, for those who are fully vaccinated, according to a joint statement fromTourism Minister Randy Boissonnault, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos and Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino. Unvaccinated travellers will still be tested at airports until the end of June. As of July 1, all testing, including for unvaccinated travellers, will be performed off-site, officials said. But the halt is only temporary, and officials said Read more
Canada isn’t ditching its mask rules for airplane and train passengers, at least not yet. A U.S. federal court judge on Monday quashed the U.S. masking law. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in the States then announced it would no longer enforce masking rules on airlines. Canadian Transport Minister Omar Alghabra on Tuesday gave no indication that the Trudeau government plans to drop its masking requirement for air and train passengers in Canada in the near future, according to the CBC. “We constantly consult our experts and whenever the advice that we receive changes because the circumstances change, we will Read more
The Trudeau government is still considering a ban on non-essential travel to Canada by foreign nationals, the Toronto Star is reporting. A proposal to shut Canada’s borders to non-essential travellers was one of four options the Trudeau cabinet considered Tuesday as it grappled with the growth of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, reporter Tonda MacCharles said. The idea met with opposition from some Cabinet members and from some provincial premiers. But a source told the Star it’s still under consideration. Trudeau mentioned the idea in his Tuesday Cabinet meeting, and then posed that and other possible moves in his Tuesday night Read more
WestJet says the travel warning issued by the Canadian government on Wednesday is not based on science and could create holiday season chaos. “The WestJet Group today is expressing its strong opposition to the travel advisory issued by the Government of Canada,” the Calgary-based company said in a statement. “The targeted advice outlined today is not based on science and data and significantly undermines aviation’s proven safety record in response to COVID-19. “These measures are a setback in Canada’s progress and its successful transition from relying on blanket advisories and policies.” The Justin Trudeau government on Wednesday announced a four-week advisory Read more
