Canada Will Allow Fully Vaccinated Travelers to Skip Quarantine

Starting July 5, Canadian officials announced that they are going to ease some travel restrictions on fully vaccinated travelers. Canadians, permanent residents, and even certain foreign travelers can possibly skip the mandatory 14-day quarantine. However, if you have plans of traveling to the country, you will have to check your eligibility first.

Health Minister Patty Hajdu said that “As we’ve told Canadians all along, easing measures at the border will happen as our communities increasingly become safe”. The health minister added that “If you are planning to travel internationally this summer, remember to check the requirements of the country that you’re visiting”.

For Canadians who want to skip quarantine, they will have to upload all supporting documents via ArriveCAN app or by signing in to the government website.

Not Applicable for Non-Essential Travel

This latest update still doesn’t apply to foreign nationals entering Canada for non-essential reasons. Also, fully vaccinated individuals will need to still undergo testing. They will still need to have a negative COVID19 test 72 hours before arriving in the country and a second test upon arrival.

If the test comes back positive, the traveler will still have to undergo quarantine. Also, the traveler must complete vaccine doses that have been approved by Canada.

Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said that they are still maintaining the flight ban between Canada and India until July 21. On the other hand, the flight ban on Pakistan is already lifted. The flight bans were placed to prevent the more contagious Delta variant from entering Canada.

Also, there is an existing land border restriction between the US and Canada. Just like the US, Canadian officials still want more people vaccinated before lifting restrictions. According to officials, they want 75% of eligible Canadian residents to complete their vaccine dose first before they loosen travel restrictions for tourists and business travelers. Based on their recent vaccination rate, Canadian officials expect to fully vaccinate 80% of eligible Canadians by the end of July.