Canada to lift COVID-19 border, travel restrictions Oct. 1
(CBS DETROIT) - Canada will remove all COVID-19 restrictions for travelers entering the country on Oct. 1, including testing, quarantine, and isolation requirements, Canada's government announced Monday.
This decision was prompted by a variety of factors including Canada's high vaccination rates, lower hospitalization and death rates, and the availability and use of vaccine boosters (including new bivalent formulation), rapid tests, and treatments for COVID-19.
The Public Health Agency of Canada says starting Oct. 1, all travellers, regardless of citizenship, will no longer have to:
- submit public health information through the ArriveCAN app or website;
- provide proof of vaccination;
- undergo pre- or on-arrival testing;
- carry out COVID-19-related quarantine or isolation;
- monitor and report if they develop signs or symptoms of COVID-19 upon arriving to Canada.
In addition to this, people will no longer have to go through health checks or wear masks when traveling on planes and trains. Travel restrictions on cruises are also being lifted.
"Thanks largely to Canadians who have rolled up their sleeves to get vaccinated, we have reached the point where we can safely lift the sanitary measures at the border," said the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos Minister of Health. "However, we expect COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses will continue to circulate over the cold months, so I encourage everyone to stay up-to-date with their COVID-19 vaccination, including booster doses, and exercise individual public health measures. I also thank the dedicated public health officers and frontline staff at our land borders and airports who have worked tirelessly to protect the health and safety of people in Canada for the last two years."
People are encouraged to stay updated on the most recent travel advice for information on traveling safely.