The Government of Canada has announced that it will remove the requirement for vaccination for all travellers and will make the ArriveCan application optional starting on 1 October 2022.
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) declares that as of 1 October 2022, everyone who travels regardless of their citizenship will no longer be required to:
Provide public health information via using the ArriveCAN app or the website;
You must provide proof of vaccination.
Tests are conducted before or during the arrival testing before or on arrival;
Implement COVID-19-related quarantine and isolation;
Monitor and report any time they exhibit symptoms or signs of COVID-19 after arriving in Canada.
In addition, masks will not be required for trains or on flights in Canada. PHAC states that the elimination of travel bans is due to the country’s excellent vaccination rates, less hospitalization and mortality rates, and the availability and usage of boosters for vaccines. The government strongly suggests that travellers wear masks and observe their health.
“Thanks largely to Canadians who have rolled up their sleeves to get vaccinated, we have reached the point where we can safely lift the sanitary measures at the border”, Health Minister Jean-Yves-Yves Duclos. “However, COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses will be around throughout the winter months, so I urge everyone to remain up-to-date on their COVID-19 vaccine and booster doses and practice individual health measures for public health.
Arrive to be changed to an optional
It is expected that the ArriveCan app will be available for those arriving from abroad. Travellers won’t have to add their travel plans or evidence of vaccination to the app to present to CBSA agents.
No travel restrictions for domestic travel
The announcement was made in reaction to the worldwide outlook for the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of cases has declined as more people get immunized, and the virus becomes endemic, similar to typical colds, and not an epidemic.
Since June, Canada has suspended vaccine requirements for domestic and outbound travel. In the past, government officials claimed that the suspension of these vaccination requirements was an indication of the improvement in public health conditions which saw 90 per cent of Canadians vaccinated against COVID-19.
There have been more than 612 million cases of COVID-19 and more than Six million cases of death since the beginning of the epidemic. The numbers could be greater since many people don’t get checked or are otherwise diagnosed.
