The federal government confirmed Thursday the new rules will start April 1 and will mark the first time in two years Canadians have been able to travel and return without any testing or mandatory requirement.
The new rules remove the requirement for travellers to get a COVID test before they return to Canada. The government had previously removed the requirement for testing on arrival. Travellers will still have to use the ArriveCan app to upload their vaccine information.Article content “Canadian airlines have been among the many voices calling for updated travel guidance and protocols, guided by scientific evidence,” he said. “We have heard from our passengers how their travel decisions have been impacted by the costs and uncertainties associated with past testing protocols.”
“One out of 10 travellers in January entering into Canada was positive with COVID. That was significantly larger obviously than what we had seen in December and prior to that; that rate has fallen to about one per cent now,” he said. “High vaccination rates and strong adherence to public health measures have pushed us through the peak of the Omicron wave,” Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said.The government will continue to do random mandatory COVID testing at airports for returning travellers, as a disease surveillance measure, but passengers will not have to quarantine while awaiting a result.