(MENAFN- Bangladesh Monitor)
Starting Oct. 1, Canada will drop all Covid-19 border restrictions for people entering the country by air, land or sea, including vaccine and testing requirements.
The move is likely to boost the Canadian travel industry, already booming after months of lull during the pandemic.
Canada will also end mask and health check requirements for travelers on planes and trains and all quarantine and isolation requirements for travelers, Transport Canada said.
Like the U.S., Canada currently requires foreign travelers to be vaccinated to enter the country, and requires unvaccinated travelers entering Canada to be tested upon arrival and to quarantine for 14 days.
“As Canadians and international visitors look to make travel plans, the long-awaited removal of all remaining measures effective Oct. 1, 2022 will further expedite recovery for our industry and the Canadian economy,” Canada's second-largest carrier WestJet Airlines said in a statement.
The decision to end restrictions was based on Canada's vaccination rate, availability of newer vaccines and treatments and data showing the country had passed the peak of the latest wave of coronavirus infections, the government said.
More than 90pc of Canadians over 12 have taken the primary series of a Covid vaccine. This month, Canada authorized Moderna's bivalent Covid-19 shots for adults, the country's first Omicron-adapted vaccine.
“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 Duclos said.
Duclos said the government was prepared to reinstate restrictions if needed.
“Obviously we have no hope to reintroduce some of these measures but if we need to protect the safety of Canadians, we will have to,” he told reporters in Ottawa.
Travelers, regardless of citizenship, will not have to submit health information through the ArriveCAN app or provide proof of vaccination from Saturday.
A requirement for travelers to wear masks on planes and trains would also be dropped. Cruise ship passengers and crew would also no longer be subject to vaccine requirements or Covid testing.
-B
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