Children No Longer Have to Quarantine

Starting February 28, there will no longer be an obligation for fully vaccinated travellers to have a negative PCR test to enter Canada, and unvaccinated children will not have to undergo a 14-day quarantine.

Instead, fully vaccinated travellers will be able to enter Canada with a pre-arrival rapid test, approved by the country they are coming from, and taken no more than 24-hours prior to their arrival or scheduled flight. The test will also have to be administered by a laboratory or a healthcare professional since at-home tests are not enough to meet the pre-entry requirements.

Some travellers may be randomly selected for arrival testing, but they will not have to wait for the results in quarantine. All travellers will still be required to upload their documents in the ArriveCAN app.

Despite these changes, unvaccinated travellers still need to be tested and quarantined for two weeks upon arrival and get tested on their eighth day of quarantine.

Currently, a requirement for all travellers – regardless of their vaccine status – is to present a negative molecular test, such as a PCR test, within 72 hours of their scheduled flight or land entry.

International Travel Coming Back

Travel Minister Omar Alghabra announced that international flights to all Canadian airports will resume at the end of February. The government will no longer recommend Canadians avoid travel for non-essential purposes.

As stated in a media release – international flights carrying passengers will be permitted to land at all remaining Canadian airports that are designated by the Canada Border Services Agency to receive international passenger flights.

This decision comes a month after World Health Organization recommended countries lift international travel bans, in addition to the pressure from health experts and the tourism industry.

Health Minster Jean-Yves Duclos said that these measures are transitory and might be adjusted depending on the COVID-19 situation. According to CIC News, he also suggested that further easing of restrictions may follow if hospitalization rates decline.

What to Do If You Plan to Come to Canada