Canada announced the first phase of easing of border restrictions on Monday, as a result of the successful rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations in Canadian provinces. Beginning July 5, eligible, fully vaccinated travelers will no longer have to quarantine in a government-designated hotel.
But eligible travelers currently only include Canadian citizens, permanent residents and those falling under the Indian Act. The restrictions on other nations’ residents, including the US, have been extended until July 21, particularly for non-essential travel. Currently, only four Canadian airports are accepting international flights, including Montréal-Trudeau, Toronto-Pearson, Calgary and Vancouver airports.
These rollbacks come in the wake of Canada hitting vaccination targets, with 75 percent of Canadians partially vaccinated. But travelers submitting false vaccination information are subject to steep penalties. Per the government press release, “A person who submits false information on vaccination status could be liable to a fine of up to $750,000 or six months imprisonment or both, under the Quarantine Act, or prosecution under the Criminal Code for forgery.”
Canadian Minister of Transport, Omar Alghabra, stated, “Today, we announced that we will be eliminating pre-departure temperature screening for international travellers coming to Canada. Also, given the number of COVID-19 cases continue to be very high in India, we have extended our flight restrictions for this country.”
India, fighting a deadly second wave of COVID-19, has been vaccinating record numbers of adults but is still struggling due to a massive population and the surge of rare diseases.
Fully vaccinated travelers interested in visiting Canada can check their eligibility and find pre-travel instructions here.
Article: Canada loosens travel restrictions beginning July 5