Starting today, fully vaccinated foreign nationals will be able to enter Canada for non-essential purposes including tourism, according to the federal government.
International visitors who meet entry requirements will not be required to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival, marking the latest step in the Canadian government’s progressive border reopening strategy.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of overseas visitors have been denied entry.
Toronto Pearson International Airport, Canada’s largest and busiest airport, is warning passengers to allow extra time for travel and to expect delays due to increasing passenger volume and COVID-19 health measures. International passengers arriving at Pearson may expect the process to take up to three hours or longer owing to COVID-19 screening measures, according to the Greater Toronto Airport Authority.
Fully vaccinated tourists will be allowed to enter Canada for non-essential reasons beginning at 12:01 a.m. EDT on Sept. 7, 2021, but they must:
• Be fully vaccinated: at least 14 days prior to entering Canada, travellers must have received and shown proof of the entire series of a vaccination (or combination of vaccines) authorised by the government. Currently, that list of accepted vaccines includes: Pfizer-BioNtech, Moderna, AstraZeneca/Covishield and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson).
• Have a negative pre-arrival COVID-19 molecular test result taken no more than 72 hours before their scheduled flight or arrival at the land border crossing, or a previous positive test result taken between 14 and 180 days before to arrival. Antigen tests, often referred to as “rapid tests” are not accepted.
• Travellers must be asymptomatic.
• Within 72 hours of their arrival in Canada, they must submit mandatory information via the ArriveCAN app or website, including proof of vaccination in English or French and a quarantine plan.
• Take a test on arrival, if selected.
Any international traveller arriving before 12:01 a.m. EDT on September 7 will be denied entry to Canada and will be required to submit their details through ArriveCAN before boarding their flight. Those who do not have their ArriveCAN receipt will be denied boarding.
VACCINATED PARENTS TRAVELLING WITH UNVACCINATED CHILDREN
Unvaccinated children under the age of 12 who travel with fully vaccinated parents or guardians are excused from quarantine as starting Aug. 9, but must adhere to heightened public health precautions, such as not attending daycare or school for 14 days.
Unvaccinated children aged 12 to 17 and dependent children aged 18 or older are permitted to enter Canada with a fully vaccinated parent or guardian, but must remain in quarantine for 14 days.
On day one and day eight of their arrival in Canada, all unvaccinated children (excluding those under the age of five) will be required to take a COVID-19 test.
ELIGIBLE TRAVELLERS WHO ARE NOT FULLY VACCINATED
For passengers who are not fully vaccinated but are eligible to enter Canada – such as Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or those registered under the Indian Act – there are no modifications to the testing and quarantine requirements. Quarantine, all testing procedures (pre-arrival, day one, and day eight), and the necessary submission of travel, contact, and quarantine plans via ArriveCAN still apply to such travellers.
FLIGHTS FROM MOROCCO AND INDIA ARE STILL SUSPENDED
Canada has banned direct commercial and private passenger flights from India until at least September 21, as well as flights from Morocco until at least September 29. While the suspensions are in effect, passengers travelling to Canada through an indirect route from India or Morocco must get a valid pre-departure COVID-19 molecular test result from a third country other than India or Morocco before continuing on their journey to Canada.
– India’s new age travel digital media
