Canada is set to further loosen its COVID-19 restrictions on Monday passengers. Travel experts expect this to stimulate the influx of Canadian travelers.
From Monday, children aged 5 to 11 who are accompanied by a fully vaccinated parent, foster parent, guardian or teacher will no longer be required to complete a COVID-19 test before entering. Children under the age of five also do not have to take a test.
Fully vaccinated passengers will no longer need to provide a quarantine plan when returning to Canada.
Read more: Canada changes COVID-19 limit rules for unvaccinated, partially vaccinated children
“Any easing of restrictions makes it easier for people to travel, especially for families,” Travel Best Bets president Claire Newell told Global News.
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“With this set of restrictions, that’s where I noticed a lot more families excited to start traveling.”
Newell says testing requirements have been an obstacle for many families with younger children.
“This pre-flight test was expensive and also a headache,” she said. “It (was) an extra step and an extra price.”
However, preliminary tests will still be required for partially vaccinated or unvaccinated travelers aged 12 and over who are currently eligible to travel to Canada.
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This is something Winnipeg’s parent Erika Suderman is familiar with. She and her husband traveled to Mexico in March while testing requirements were still in place. While her whole family was vaccinated, she said they chose to leave the two children at home.
“The reason we didn’t take the kids was because I didn’t want to worry about getting COVID and having to test and go home,” Suderman said. “My kids don’t like to take tests.”
Suderman says the relaxed restrictions make the trip more attractive as a parent. She is looking forward to taking her children on their next trip.
Read more: US judge revokes plane and train mask mandate despite growing COVID-19 cases
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“You enjoy your vacation and then you think I should take this test at the end of my trip. I hope I don’t get COVID. I don’t want to stay here, “Suderman said of previous testing requirements for COVID-19.” It was a little stressful. “
Experts also warn that fewer barriers for passengers means fewer barriers for the virus.
“Just remember that the more mandates and restrictions are lifted, the more it allows us to be mobile, to move around, to be around more people,” said epidemiologist Cynthia Carr. “And, of course, that’s what the virus likes.”
Carr says passengers still need to take precautions and know the levels of risk for the area where they are traveling.
“Just to find out what the situation is in the area and in the health care system,” Carr said. “When you travel, anything can happen and you may have to use the health care system.
As the United States abolishes the mandate for a mask to travel by plane and train, Carr still recommends wearing a mask in congested areas, such as an airport terminal, in queues and on the plane itself.
“I would definitely like our trip to be without COVID,” Suderman said. “So masked all the way.”
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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