(CNN) – Days after Canada lifted its quarantine requirement for Fully vaccinated Canadians Entering the country, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rejected the idea that non-essential unvaccinated visitors would soon be allowed in.
“I can tell you right now that this is not going to happen for quite a while,” Trudeau said during a campaign visit to British Columbia on Thursday. Trudeau did not specify when vaccinated travelers would be allowed access.
The Canada-U.S. Border remains closed to non-essential travel until at least July 21, and currently only Canadian citizens and residents are allowed to enter the country, unless exempted from essential work.
“We must continue to ensure the safety of Canadians,” Trudeau said, adding that the government must ensure that the sacrifices people have been making for months “have not been in vain.”
On July 5, the government relaxed mandatory quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated nationals and residents arriving from abroad. Federal officials have called this the “first phase” of reopening, given the pace of vaccination in Canada.
To avoid going into quarantine, travelers must show full proof of vaccination at least 14 days prior to travel and a negative covid-19 PCR test performed within 72 hours of entering Canada.
Unvaccinated travelers will need to remain isolated at home until COVID-19 test results are negative.
The number of COVID-19 cases in Canada has steadily declined and vaccinations have increased, with nearly 70% of Canadians receiving at least one dose of the vaccine.
According to Johns Hopkins University, in Canada, there have been more than 1.4 million cases of coronavirus and 26,356 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
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