Canada relaxes Covid test rule for vaccinated travelers

Canada’s coronavirus travel restrictions will be reduced for fully vaccinated travellers, the government announced on Thursday, following a drop in reported coronavirus infections and the country’s success in achieving a high vaccination rate among its population. .

From April 1, fully vaccinated travelers will no longer need to present proof of a recent negative coronavirus test to enter the country. All air travelers can still be randomly selected to take PCR tests upon arrival at airports, and unvaccinated or partially vaccinated travelers will still need to take a test a day before flying.

Canada will also continue to require all travelers submit a health information form before entering Canada. Those who arrive without submitting a completed form may be required to take a test and quarantine for 14 days, regardless of their vaccination status.

“Adjustments to Canada’s border measures are made possible by a number of factors, including Canada’s high vaccination rate, the increasing availability and use of rapid tests to detect infection, declining hospitalizations and the availability growing number of treatments for Covid-19,” Jean-Yves Duclos, the country’s health minister, told a press conference on Thursday.

“As vaccination levels and health system capacity improve, we will continue to consider further relaxing border measures – and when to adjust these measures – to keep people safe in Canada,” said declared Mr. Duclos.

Many countries around the world have recently relaxed pandemic restrictions, including those for travellers, even though the highly contagious subvariant of Omicron known as BA.2 led to new outbreaks of cases in Europe and East Asia. Cases of serious illness and death remain on the decline, especially among those vaccinated and vaccinated.

On Friday, Britain scrapped all of its remaining restrictions for foreign travellers, including testing requirements for unvaccinated travellers. Romania and ireland lifted their pandemic-related entry restrictions this month.

Provinces across Canada have gradually eased coronavirus restrictions in recent weeks, saying the threat posed by the virus is diminishing. Ontario and Nova Scotia will end mask mandates on Monday in most indoor public places, including restaurants and gymnasiums, with other parts of the country expected to follow in April.