Fully Vaccinated Travelers Can Skip Hotel Quarantine Starting July 5
Canadian residents who are fully vaccinated will soon be able to enter the country without having to undergo a quarantine period.
The federal government announced on June 21 that the rules surrounding entry will change beginning July 5. The news comes as many Canadian provinces have reached their vaccination targets – more than 75 percent of those eligible have received one dose, and more than 20 percent have received two doses.
Previously, anyone crossing the border would be required to quarantine in a hotel for 14 days. However, starting July 5, incoming travellers can avoid the quarantine period by submitting information through the government’s ArriveCAN mobile app.
Specifically, they must meet various criteria, including that they have received a full vaccination at least 14 days prior, they are asymptomatic, and they have a suitable quarantine plan.
Regarding the latter requirement, a government media statement wrote that “final determination regarding exemptions is made by a government representative at the border based on the information presented at the time of entry into Canada, which is why a quarantine plan is still required.”
Those approved will not have to quarantine.
No changes have been made regarding those who are not fully vaccinated; they will still have to quarantine for 14 days, including a quarantine period of up to 3 days in a hotel.
The Canadian government also announced that the Canada-U.S. border restrictions will remain in place until at least July 21.
“At this time, the Government of Canada continues to strongly advise Canadians to avoid non-essential travel,” said Public Safety Minister Bill Blair. “Although the future is looking brighter than it has for a long time, with COVID-19 cases on a downward trend and vaccination efforts going well across the country, we can’t let our guard down.”
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Arghavan Gerami
Arghavan Gerami is the Founder and Senior Counsel at Gerami Law Professional Corporation ('PC'), a full-service immigration law firm in Ottawa, Ontario. Since 2011, Ms. Gerami has focused her practice on immigration and refugee litigation. Prior to that, Ms. Gerami worked at the Ministry of Attorney General and the Department of Justice and had the privilege of serving the Honourable Mr. Justice M. Evans at the Federal Court of Appeal on immigration and administrative law appeals. Ms. Gerami contributes to the Immigration Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association, the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Ms. Gerami has also published numerous journal articles and presented at various immigration and refugee law conferences and events across Canada.