As of February 28, fully vaccinated Canadian travellers will no longer be required to take a PCR test to return to Canada. Travellers will be able to take a cheaper and faster rapid antigen test a maximum of 24 hours prior to their scheduled return flight.
In more good news, children under 12 who are not fully vaccinated and travelling with fully vaccinated adults will no longer face quarantine or testing restrictions on return. That stipulation has been seen as a major deterrent for family travel.
As well, the government of Canada announced that the travel warning level will drop from Level 3 (avoid non-essential travel) to Level 2 (practice special precautions).
The announcements were made at a press conference in Ottawa attended by several federal ministers, including Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos.
Random testing will continue at airports, but those selected will no longer have to quarantine while they await results. Canadians will still be required to fill out information on the ArriveCan app or website prior to arrival at Canadian airports.
Minister Duclos characterized the changes as "transitional measures" that will likely evolve over time. "Further easing could be considered in future weeks," Duclos said, specifically mentioning that 72-hour cross border trips could return without testing requirements.
Minister of Transportation Omar Al-Ghabra called today "a great day for Canadian travellers." He offered his own good news - as of February 28, the ban on international flights to all remaining airports will be lifted. Currently 18 airports are permitted to receive international flights. The change will positively impact airports including London, Windsor and Fort McMurray.
Al-Ghabra also offered positive comments on the coming Canadian cruise season, which has been shut down for two full years due to the pandemic.
"We will have more to say very soon about how testing for cruise ship travellers arriving at Canadian ports will work," Al-Ghabra said, while confirming new regulations will be in place in time for the beginning of the season in May.
Duclos acknowledged that "COVID-19 does not follow a predictable path," and there is still the potential for a new variant that could change things. But he said we are past the peak of the current Omicron wave and "it's time to adjust our approach."
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