Fully vaccinated Canadians and permanent residents will be allowed to enter the country without quarantining effective July 5.
On Monday, the federal government announced Canadians who have received all doses of Health Canada-approved vaccines can avoid hotel quarantine and end home quarantine after getting a negative test result.
The move comes nearly six months after the federal government imposed mandatory quarantines in hotels in an effort to combat importation of COVID-19 “variants of concern.”
“As we’ve told Canadians all along, easing measures at the border will happen as we see our communities increasingly become safe,” Health Minister Patty Hajdu said.
“If you are planning to travel internationally this summer, remember to check the requirements of the country that you’re visiting.”
The announcement only applies to Canadian citizens and permanent residents. The Canadian border will remain closed to non-citizens and non-residents without an essential reason for entry.
Travelers will be required to provide proof of vaccination through the government’s ArriveCAN app prior to their arrival.
The final dose of vaccine will have to be received at least 14 days before arriving in Canada. Travelers will still be required to submit a quarantine plan on the ArriveCAN app as the government will not grant quarantine exemptions until the traveler arrives in Canada.
The announcement comes as many provinces hit their vaccination targets and several announce plans to fully reopen.
Last week, the Trudeau government announced that the Canada-US border will remain closed for non-essential travel until at least July 21.
“As Canadians continue to get vaccinated, we’ll be carefully monitoring data here and around the world. We will be assessing our own rates of vaccination, cases, hospitalizations, and outbreaks and the disease activity in the rest of the world,” Hajdu added.
“We’ll watch these metrics carefully, as we plan the next phase of changes to border measures.”
