As fully-vaccinated travellers are permitted to enter Canada’s land border with the U.S. for non-essential travel, many Canadians may be thinking of family reunions and delayed vacations.
They’ve been warned to expect line-ups at border entry points and long wait times.
The Canadian government is also reminding its residents to plan for mandatory testing before their return home.
Land and marine points of entry to the U.S. re-open 08NOV for fully vaccinated travellers. While vaccinated Canadians are not required to also show a negative COVID-19 test to cross the land border, they are required to have a test to get back into Canada.
The Canada Border Services Agency issued a release Friday reminding Canadians that re-entry into Canada requires a negative PCR test even for those who are fully vaccinated.
Rules Still In Force
Fully vaccinated travellers presenting at any Canadian point of entry must submit their mandatory information including proof of vaccination using the ArriveCAN app, and have proof of a negative molecular COVID-19 test - often called PCR test. Rapid/ antigen tests are not permitted. Fully vaccinated travellers may also be subject to random COVID testing on arrival into Canada.
In addition, many Canadians remain confused about how to manage if their trip is less than 72 hours.
CBSA says those travellers may take their PCR test before they leave Canada, however if the test is more than 72 hours old when they arrive back at the Canadian border, they’ll need a new one.
Travellers who are not fully vaccinated according to Health Canada guidelines will still be required to follow a 3-step testing process and a 14-day quarantine.
Full details on the current measures in place for travellers entering or returning to Canada are available online: COVID-19: Travel, testing and borders.
Hope on the Horizon
As the approach to the land border re-opening drew closer, pressure has increased on the federal government to downgrade testing requirements from costly and more difficult PCR tests to cheaper, easier antigen tests - or to scrap testing requirements altogether for fully vaccinated arrivals.
For the first time, Canada’s chief public health officer has hinted there might be some movement.
Late last week, Dr. Theresa Tam said testing policies should be “re-examined,” and are “actively being looked at.”
