By: Thomas I. Likness
Eagle News Service

(Eagle News) — There’s good news for Canada’s travel industry following the announcement that Canada will drop the requirement for a pre-arrival COVID-19 test for fully vaccinated travellers.

Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said Thursday the restrictions will be lifted April 1.

He adds fully vaccinated travellers may still be randomly selected for COVID-19 testing but he they won’t have to quarantine while waiting for the results.

“I think it’s fair to say that we are now entering into a transition phase of this pandemic,” Duclos told a news conference. “We can expect transmission to decline in the coming month,

Travellers who are not immunized against COVID-19 or who have received only one dose of the vaccine will still have to be tested on arrival and quarantine for 14 days.

“Today is a day that many of us have been waiting for. It is a great day for Canadian travelers, tourism and aviation,” said Transport Minister Omar Alghabra.

The travel industry has been pressuring the government for several months to ease restrictions, hoping to be able to cash in on the summer tourism season.

Tourism Minister Randy Boissonnault says Thursday’s announcement will help.

“We are making it easier for people from around the world to visit Canada this spring, and beyond,’ he said. “With our high vaccination rates and our focus on health and safety, Canada has a huge advantage in attracting visitors because they know it’s safe to travel to Canada.”
(Eagle News Service)