Overseas travel bans in Canada will be extended until 21st July.
Bill Blair, Canada’s public safety minister, confirmed the news in a tweet on 18th June, saying that non-essential foreign travel bans will be extended until 21st July 2021.
Blair also stated that the country is considering steps for properly vaccinated Canadians and others who are currently exempted from the entry restrictions.
Canadian citizens/residents, as well as their family members, working visa holders, some overseas students, and some selected permanent residents, are all excluded.
According to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, establishing immunization status would be implemented in two stages. In the short term, incoming migrants will be obliged to submit their immunization documents to the ArriveCAN app. The government later intends to develop a national certification status that will be recognized all over the world. Because immunization is under provincial competence, Trudeau added, this action will have to consult the provinces.
Health authorities have previously stated that tourists will only be considered wholly immunized if they got one of four vaccinations licenced in Canada: Moderna, Astra Zeneca, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson.
In March 2020, the Canadian government introduced that it would block its borders to non-essential travellers. The authorities have since changed the guidelines to require COVID-19 testing before and after entry and an obligatory quarantine period. Only four major airports in Canada were also restricted to international flights.
Canada updated the list of individuals who are exempt from travel bans in the fall of 2020. For example, foreign students who attended a Designated Learning Institution were permitted to study in the country. Exemptions were also granted to extended relatives and visitors who came to Canada for compassionate purposes, such as funerals.
In February, Canada implemented a compulsory hotel quarantine for all international visitors. Newcomers in the country were to proceed to government-authorized hotels to wait for the results of an RTPCR test at their own expense. After their test results are received, they may be freed to complete the quarantine.
