On Friday November 19th, the federal Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos announced that the requirement to obtain a pre-arrival COVID-19 molecular test would be eliminated for fully vaccinated Canadian travellers taking short-term trips abroad which are within 72 hours in duration. This new policy will come into effect on November 30, 2021. The pre-arrival testing exemption will apply to fully vaccinated Canadians, permanent residents, as well as accompanying unvaccinated children under the age of 12, who depart and re-enter Canada within 72 hours.
Please note, at this time, no changes have been made for fully vaccinated Canadian travellers taking trips abroad which are longer than 72 hours.
One of the CSA’s advocacy priorities is the elimination of the pre-arrival molecular COVID-19 test requirement for all fully vaccinated travellers returning to Canada regardless of trip length. Back in May, the COVID-19 Testing and Screening Expert Advisory Panel recommended that the federal government eliminate pre-arrival testing for fully vaccinated travellers entering Canada as travellers who have been vaccinated pose a lower risk of importation and transmission of COVID-19. We will continue to lobby the Government of Canada to adopt this recommendation from their own advisory panel.
For a complete list of the current requirements for re-entry back into Canada, please see the following website, https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid. These requirements are subject to change and it is recommended that members review this site prior to their return to Canada.
