The Canadian government has lifted the requirement for local and outbound international passengers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, effective June 20. However, all re-entry requirements will remain in force and all passengers will continue to wear face masks.
This change will allow unvaccinated Canadians to board planes, trains and buses heading to local or international locations, but they will still have to comply with current testing and quarantine requirements when re-entering from international destinations.
Foreigners coming to Canada will still need to be vaccinated to enter, although they could leave the country if they are not vaccinated.
In addition, “due to the unique nature of cruise ship travel”, vaccination requirements for passengers and cruise ship crew will remain in force.
The requirement to use the ArriveCAN application will continue.
Intergovernmental Minister Dominique LeBlanc, Transport Minister Omar Algabra, Finance Council Chairman Mona Fortier and Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos made the announcement Tuesday, which also includes major updates to Canada’s mandates for vaccines for transport workers and federal officials.
In disclosing the updated policies, the government said the mandates were effective during the pandemic, but were never intended to be permanent. However, if the number of cases increases again, federal officials say they will not hesitate to reinstate the mandates.
The Canadian government says the move comes now “after a successful vaccination campaign”. Nearly 90 percent of eligible Canadians have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Federal mandates, which require all passengers on planes or trains to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before boarding, were first promised by the Liberals during the last federal election and came into force in October 2021.
Pressure on the government to raise travel vaccination requirements from opposition politicians and the tourism industry has intensified in recent months, citing significant congestion and delays at Canadian airports and easing of provincial public health rules.
During these calls, the Liberals defended their mandates, repeatedly citing the need to follow the science and advice of public health officials. On Tuesday, ministers said the federal government’s “top priority” remains to keep Canadians safe and that the decision is not about easing tensions at Canadian airports.
Rather, ministers cite the evolution of the virus, current epidemiological and modeling forecasts and the high vaccination rate in Canada as key factors in raising mandates now.
Last week, the government stopped its mandatory random testing of vaccinated passengers at airports, but maintained the requirement that all unvaccinated passengers be taken tampons.
To be considered fully vaccinated under federal policy, people had to show evidence of a full series of vaccinations, but not a booster dose, despite calls from public health officials to make a third dose part of the requirement for better protection against severe disease.
More details to come …
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