Starting today (April 25), several small changes to Canadian border regulations take effect, notably that unvaccinated children aged five to 11 travelling with a fully vaccinated adult will no longer need a COVID-19 test to enter the country. However, masks will still be required for all travellers “throughout their entire travel journey.”
Other changes taking effect to ease restrictions for international travellers include:
• Fully vaccinated travellers, and any kids under 12 accompanying them, will no longer need to provide their quarantine plans when they enter the country.
• When vaccinated people arrive in Canada, they won’t need to wear a mask for 14 days, keep a list of contacts, or report COVID-19 symptoms.
• The government is also doing away with the need for travellers to quarantine if someone in their group develops COVID-19 symptoms or tests positive.
In addition to maintaining masking rules for transit passengers, the federal government said that pre-entry tests will still be needed for partially vaccinated or unvaccinated travellers over the age of 12 who are eligible to travel to Canada.
There is also no change for children under five years of age, who don’t currently require a COVID-19 test.
Other measures, including random testing, also remains, although the program has been “re-focussed” to four major airports – Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal.
The government further noted that all travellers are still required to use the free ArriveCAN app for entry (including prove of vaccination, unless exempt).
Public Safety minister Marco Mendicino cautioned that travellers may still experience delays at the border while some health requirements remain in place and advised that people should be prepared by making sure they have their passports, ArriveCAN receipts, and proof of vaccination ready when they cross into Canada.
Border bonanza
The regulation changes come as the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is reporting that more than one million travellers (1,053,523) entered the country April 11-17, the first time that travel volumes have been this high since the start of the pandemic two years ago (214,055).
The CBSA says it is working to mitigate long border wait times, and the new eased regulations should help.