Despite Canada lifting its global travel advisory against non-essential travel, health officials continue to warn that Canadians should carefully weigh any future decisions on taking foreign trips. “Now is not the time to just freely go wherever,” says chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam, adding, “The pandemic is very much alive.”

Tam says government will be providing more specific information about the severity of COVID-19 in various countries to help Canadians decide where they should consider travelling and maintains that it is too early to give a “blanket” recommendation on all travel.

“There are definitely still risks involved in travel,” she said Friday, though adding that being fully vaccinated and assessing the level of the pandemic in any potential destination is key.

The government announced Thursday that it was lifting the global advisory asking Canadians to avoid non-essential travel outside the country, but it was continuing to advise against travel on cruise ships. (See previous story). The global travel advisory was put in place in March 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

Ask questions

Dr. Howard Njoo, the deputy chief public health officer, says that Canadians should ask themselves a series of questions before they plan to travel abroad.

Njoo urged Canadians assess the “epidemiological situation” of COVID-19 in any potential travel destination “because there is great variation between different countries and even within countries, as we’ve seen here in Canada.”

They should also look at the level of vaccination rates in those countries “because that’s an indication of what community transmission in that region may be.”

Canadian travellers should also ask themselves what they actually want to do when they get to another country. “For example, if you’re going to go on solitary nature hikes, that’s one thing. But if you’re thinking of going on a cruise with a lot of people in an enclosed space, that’s another thing,” said Njoo.

Canadians should also weigh the “culture for individual protection measures” in where they are thinking of travelling, such as whether masks are commonly worn, or not, he said, noting, “We know that the situation is not the same in all parts of the world. There are regions in the world that are still suffering from the severe consequences of COVID-19.”

The government of Canada’s website now shows advisories for each destination country, as it did prior to the pandemic. It also urges Canadians to ensure they are fully vaccinated against the novel coronavirus before travelling abroad, and to stay informed of the COVID-19 situation at their destination.