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The Trudeau government is demanding that effective January 7, 2021, 12:01 a.m. EST, all air passengers aged five or over be tested negative for COVID-19 before they take a trip from from a foreign country to Canada
Sunday January 3, 2021 ((rezonodwes.com)) – The COVID-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented global crisis that is having a significant impact on the airline industry and all Canadian travelers. The Government of Canada has put in place multiple measures to protect the health and safety of Canadians and to prevent air travel from being a source of the introduction and spread of COVID-19 and new variants of the virus in Canada .
Since March 13, 2020, the Government of Canada has strongly advised against non-essential travel, and has clarified that travel restrictions and measures can be changed at any time and as needed for public health reasons.
The Minister of Transport, the Honorable Marc Garneau, demands that effective January 7, 2021, at 12:01 a.m. EST, all air passengers aged five years or older be tested negative for COVID-19 before they are not making a trip from a foreign country to Canada. The implementation date gives all air carriers, both foreign and Canadian, sufficient time to comply with the new requirements.
Documentation of a negative laboratory test result must be presented to the air carrier prior to boarding a flight to Canada. The test must be performed using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR test) for COVID-19 and be performed within 72 hours of the traveler’s intended departure to Canada.
Anyone who tests negative and is allowed to enter Canada must still go through the mandatory 14-day quarantine.
The Government of Canada will further increase its surveillance efforts to ensure that travelers entering Canada comply with the mandatory 14-day quarantine period in effect under the Quarantine Act.
As has been the case for months, all travelers will have their quarantine plan reviewed by a government official, and if it doesn’t fit, they will have to quarantine themselves at a federal quarantine facility. Travelers to Canada should use the ArriveCan app or website and provide exact contact information along with their mandatory 14-day quarantine plan prior to or upon entry.
Violation of any instructions given to enter Canada is a violation of the Quarantine Act and may result in up to six months imprisonment, a fine of $ 750,000, or both.
Canadians who are currently traveling and soon returning to Canada should immediately start planning a test for COVID-19 to avoid delaying their return to Canada. Canadians planning to travel internationally should consider how they will comply with these requirements before departure.
