Canada on Wednesday took a cautious first step toward easing COVID-19 border restrictions, saying it was ready to relax quarantine protocols for fully vaccinated residents returning home beginning in early July.
Canada’s air and land borders are opened for only essential travel since March of last yr, and people returning from home are required to quarantine for 14 days. If they arrive by air, they also must stay in a designated hotel until they receive a negative COVID-19 test.
“The first step … is to allow fully vaccinated individuals currently permitted to enter Canada to do so without the requirement to stay in government-authorized accommodation,” Health Minister Patty Hajdu informed reporters on Wednesday.
The easing of restrictions will hinge on COVID-19 case numbers and vaccinations, she stated.
Canadian businesses, especially airlines and those that depend on tourism, have been lobbying the Liberal government to relax restrictions. Hajdu made clear Ottawa would act slowly.
The Canadian Airports Council stated it was “disappointed the new measures weren’t extended to all vaccinated travelers and that there is still no plan for a restart of travel” whereas the Chamber of Commerce said much work remained.
By June 21, Canada is due to decide whether to increase land border restrictions with the United States. The measures do not affect trade.
Hajdu stated Canada would take a “phased strategy towards adjusting current border measures.”
It’s still unclear when the border rules might change for foreign travelers.
There will be as many as seven phases, with borders not fully open till some 75% of Canadians are fully vaccinated, a source acquainted with the matter stated.
Canada is working on a certificate that may be introduced at the border as proof of vaccination, Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc informed reporters.
Even when fully vaccinated, Canadians will be required to take a COVID-19 test before departure and upon arrival, and then quarantine till they receive a negative result, Hajdu stated
Some 70% of eligible Canadians have received the first shot, Procurement Minister Anita Anand stated, while about 10% are fully vaccinated.
