by Jim Byers
Last updated: 4:20 PM ET, Wed February 17, 2021
Canada's mandatory, 14-day quarantine for most arriving visitors has been extended to April 21, 2021.
The quarantine rule, which is separate from the new testing and hotel quarantine laws that take effect February 22, requires that people coming into Canada for non-essential purposes quarantine for 14 days.
The rule was set to expire Sunday, Feb. 21, but was extended to April 21, 2021 via an order in council by the Trudeau government in Ottawa.
Airlines and other groups have pushed for shorter mandatory quarantine times in conjunction with improved testing, but it hasn't happened that way.
In a separate rule that takes effect next Monday, arriving air passengers will have to take a PCR-style COVID-19 test after they land. They then will have to quarantine at an airport hotel for up to three days (at an estimated cost of up to $2,000) while they await test results.
Those who test negative for the virus will be able to finish their mandatory 14-day quarantines at home, albeit with increased surveillance to keep folks from wandering off for a shopping trip or to visit friends and family. Those who test positive will be moved to a separate, government-approved facility, Ottawa has said.
The federal government this week begen enforcing a rule that says all non-essential workers who cross into Canada by land must produce a negative test result for COVID-19. Added, on-site testing at some border crossings is set to begin next Monday.
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