Mandatory random COVID testing will resume July 19 for fully vaccinated travellers arriving by air to Canada's four largest airports - Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Toronto. But this time those selected for testing won't have to be tested at an airport facility.
The Government of Canada paused mandatory random testing for those entering Canada by air on June 11 to help speed up entry. It said at the time the move was part of a broader strategy to transition testing for air travellers outside of airports.
When the program resumes July 19, all testing for air travellers, both those who qualify as fully vaccinated and partially or unvaccinated people, will be completed either via an in-person appointment at select testing provider locations and pharmacies, or a virtual appointment for a self-swab test.
"Keeping Canadians safe has been our number one priority since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Government of Canada set up entry restrictions, testing, and quarantine requirements to manage risks at the border," the government said in a statement.
"Testing was and remains an important part of our surveillance program to track the importation of COVID-19 virus into Canada and identify new variants of concern."
To qualify as a fully vaccinated traveller to Canada, travellers must have been vaccinated with a primary series of a COVID-19 vaccine accepted by the Government of Canada for the purpose of travel at least 14 calendar days before entering Canada.
Air travellers who qualify as fully vaccinated and who are selected for mandatory random testing, as well as air travellers who do not qualify as fully vaccinated, will receive an email notification within 15 minutes of completing their customs declaration.
The email will contain information to help them arrange for their test with a testing provider in their region. Unvaccinated travellers can complete their tests by a virtual appointment or an in-person appointment with the test provider at their store or at select pharmacies and still respect their quarantine requirements.
All vaccinated travellers who are randomly selected for the border testing surveillance program must complete arrival mandatory testing requirements.
If the arrival test result is positive, they must go into isolation and follow the federal requirement to isolate for 10 days from the date of the test result. The government says this 10-day isolation is required, even if the isolation requirement is shorter in specific provinces or territories.
Travellers who do not qualify as fully vaccinated, unless exempt, must continue to test on Day 1 and Day 8 of their mandatory 14-day quarantine.
"Moving testing outside of airports will support testing for travellers arriving by air while still being able to monitor and quickly respond to new variants of concern, or changes to the epidemiological situation," the government says.
Mandatory random testing will continue at land border points of entry, with no changes.
All travellers must continue to use ArriveCAN to provide mandatory travel information within 72 hours before their arrival in Canada, and/or before boarding a cruise ship destined for Canada, with few exceptions.
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