OTTAWA – Public Safety Minister Bill Blair has said the government will continue to require travelers to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test upon entry into the country as long as the Public Health of Canada will advocate it.
In an interview on CTV’s Question Period aired on Sunday, Blair said the federal government was at the same time reviewing the effectiveness of dual vaccination in mitigating the spread.
“[Double vaccination] also demonstrates for us a very significant reduction in the risk that arises at our borders. We have seen throughout the pandemic that advice has evolved as new evidence and data becomes available. We will continue to follow the advice of the Public Health Agency of Canada, ”he said.
His comments come after the announcement on Friday that the United States will reopen its land borders to fully vaccinated non-essential travelers on November 8, but will not require proof of a negative PCR molecular test to enter.
U.S. air travel rules say travelers must show a negative test no more than three days before departure.
Blair said keeping the policy in place is not a signal the government is trying to discourage travel.
“We just want to make sure they can do it safely,” he said. “One of the things that we have done for Canadians who want to go to the United States, go shopping, a day trip for example, they are going to be able to do it, they are going to be able to get their PCR test in Canada, and it will remain valid for up to 72 hours.
According to government data, of the 397,497 tests administered at the land border between February and July, 0.2% came back positive.
Speaking in Washington on Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said it was important to continue to follow the science as Canada remains engulfed in a fourth wave.
“I truly believe that when it comes to ending the fight against COVID, the Canadian approach – which has been to follow the science, follow the recommendations of public health authorities and err on the side of caution – has us really, really served. good, she said.
She also insisted that Canadians should only travel out of necessity and refrain from “doing the things you just want to do”.
A day later, Canada’s chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, warned against lifting testing requirements too early.
“We need to have continuous assessment and discussion, there’s no question about it. But I just want to remind everyone that right now we’re still at the top of this fourth wave. We are in a situation in Canada where our health systems are still very fragile. We need to take a precautionary approach in the coming times, ”she said.
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