Travel restrictions between Canada and the United States due to the pandemic began to ease on Monday for some Canadians, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau noted that plans for the full reopening of the border would be announced in the next few months. weeks to come.
Canadian citizens and permanent residents who have the full schedule of coronavirus vaccines approved for use in Canada can bypass the 14-day quarantine that has been in effect since March 2020. Eligible travelers arriving in Canada by air will no longer have to spend their first three days in the country inside a government approved hotel.
Restrictions that ban non-essential travel between Canada and the United States, including tourism, will remain in effect until at least July 21.
Trudeau noted that the reduction in restrictions represents a “big step” towards reopening the border.
“We are optimistic that over the next few weeks we will see further milestones announced for the reopening,” he said at a press conference in Sault Ste-Marie, Ont. “We’re going to make sure we don’t have a rebound in COVID-19 cases because no one wants to go back to the restrictions, having done so much and sacrificed so much to get there. “
Julia Dunn, who landed at Toronto Pearson International Airport from the United States on her way to Halifax, expressed her joy at the new measures.
“It’s very liberating to be able to come home with your family without having to spend those two weeks alone,” she said.
Dunn, who was born in Cape Breton but resides in Houston, said he booked his flight to Canada after learning of the intention to lift the mandatory quarantine a few weeks ago.
Trudeau said he understood how worried people are about the border reopening, but stressed that the pandemic continues and “things are not back to normal yet.”
“No one wants to go too fast and that restrictions should be imposed again due to the increase in cases, as we are seeing in other parts of the world,” he said. “We have to do it right.”
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