This week, our government announced important changes to Canada's COVID-19 travel and border regulations. Reflecting the declining COVID-19 numbers from the Omicron wave in Canada and in many countries around the world, as of February 28th, Canada's travel advisory levels will be lowered to level 2, and non-essential travel will no longer be "not recommended."
Additionally, children under 12 years old travelling with fully vaccinated adults will be exempt from quarantine and will no longer be required to wait 14 days before returning to school, activities, or daycare.
Finally, a negative PCR test within 72 hours of returning to Canada will no longer be required for entry. Instead, Canadians can opt for a negative rapid antigen test, taken at an authorized location, within 24 hours of boarding their flight or crossing a point of entry into Canada. This option offers Canadian travellers more flexibility and offers results within 15-20 minutes. They are also, on average, less costly than the PCR test option.
Even with the easing of border measures, it is still very important to plan for a possible positive COVID-19 test while traveling abroad. Some questions to consider are; If you test positive while in another country, what are that country's health requirements, such as mandatory quarantine periods? Where would you stay if you tested positive, had to quarantine, and could not board a flight home? How much will it cost, and would you and your loved ones have the funds to cover these additional costs? To help protect you from any unexpected expenses, it is strongly recommended that all Canadians travelling outside of Canada acquire the necessary travel insurance.
For more information regarding the easing of border measures, I invite you to read the official advisory here: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/news/2022/02/government-of-canada-lightens-border-measures-as-part-of-transition-of-the-pandemic-response.html
Best regards to you and yours,
Peter Schiefke
MP Vaudreuil-Soulanges