Starting next week, fully vaccinated travelers entering Canada through Toronto Pearson International Airport will once again be subject to mandatory random testing for COVID-19.
The policy, which was temporarily suspended last month amid long lines and airport delays, will resume on July 18 for passengers arriving by air at Canada’s four major airports of Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Toronto.
However, the testing will take place off-site so as not to disrupt airport services. Individuals can receive the tests either in person at testing locations and pharmacies, or use a self-scratch test at home during a virtual appointment.
CTV News Toronto reached out to Toronto Pearson for more information on how this could affect passenger delays.
“Moving testing out of airports will support testing for passengers arriving by air, while being able to monitor and quickly respond to new variants of concern or changes in the epidemiological situation,” officials said in a media release published in Thursday. “Mandatory random testing continues at land border crossings, unchanged.”
Travelers selected for random testing at Toronto Pearson will receive an email notification within 15 minutes of completing their customs declaration. Information on how to arrange a test will be provided at that time.
Partially vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals will continue to be required to be tested upon arrival in the country and on the eighth day of their mandatory 14-day quarantine. All passengers must provide their information on the ArriveCAN app or website 72 hours prior to their arrival in the country.
On Wednesday, the Toronto Airport Authority said operations were “improving” after months of challenges including canceled flights, long lines and lost luggage.
“We’re seeing both system-wide labor recovery in airlines and government agencies, and we’re seeing process improvement,” President and CEO Deborah Flint said at the time.
Back in June, the GTAA welcomed the federal government’s decision to pause mandatory on-site COVID-19 testing as it anticipated an influx of travelers during the summer months. He warned that Canada could lose billions of dollars in tourism if the policy remains in place.
At the same time, public health officials maintain the importance of testing travelers to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“We must maintain border testing measures because this is how we track the importation of the COVID-19 virus and the new variants that cause concern,” Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said in a statement. “We will continue to adapt our border measures to balance the need to protect Canadians while supporting our economic recovery.”
Ontario is currently in the seventh wave of the pandemic and expects to see a peak in infections within two weeks, according to the province’s chief medical officer.
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