A vaccine will not prevent you from mandatory quarantine in Canada

Dear Mr Brown:

I was wondering if one obtained the coronavirus vaccine whether they would still have to quarantine when travelling to Canada.

– CM

Dear CM:

At this time, proof of having a vaccine will not replace a negative test result. While a vaccine protects an individual from illness, further evidence is required to understand if a vaccinated person can still spread virus. Moreover, the Canadian Government has recently announced that pre-departure COVID-19 testing and proof of negative results are now required for all air travellers five years of age or older coming into Canada as of January 7, 2021. This measure is meant to prevent air travel from being a source of further introduction and spread of COVID-19 and new variants of the virus into Canada by providing another layer of protection.

PCR test within 72 hours

Documentation of a negative laboratory test result must be presented to the airline prior to boarding a flight to Canada. The test must be performed using a COVID-19 molecular polymerase chain reaction (or PCR) test and must be taken within 72 hours prior to the traveller’s scheduled departure to Canada.

Quarantine Period

It is important to note that the 14-day quarantine will also remain in place. Furthermore, all existing health requirements, including health check questions, temperature screening and the wearing of masks on board flights to Canada remain in place.

All travellers will have their quarantine plans reviewed by a Government official and, if not suitable, will be required to quarantine in a federal quarantine facility. Travellers to Canada must use the Arrivecan App or website and provide accurate contact information and their mandatory 14-day quarantine plan on or before entry.

There will also be increased surveillance efforts to ensure travellers entering Canada complete the applicable mandatory 14-day quarantine period. Violating any instructions provided when you enter Canada is an offence under the Quarantine Act and could lead to up to six months in prison and/or Can$750,000 in fines.

exemptions

Unless otherwise exempted, presentation of a valid negative test to the airline will be a condition of boarding a flight to Canada and therefore, an airline will be required to refuse boarding to travellers that are unable to demonstrate this. Persons who are travelling from a country where PCR testing is unavailable will be required to report to a designated Public Health Agency of Canada quarantine facility for the duration of their mandatory 14-day quarantine. Travellers who can prove that they were unable to get a test abroad will have to quarantine for 14 days at a federally-approved facility upon their arrival.

Those exempted from this requirement include children who are under five years of age.

Other exemptions include:

• a crew member or a person who seeks to enter Canada only to become such a crew member;

• Emergency service providers; and • Technical stops – flights refuelling.

Please visit JAMAICA2CANADA. COM for additional information on Canadian permanent residence programmes, including Express Entry, The Study & Work programme, visas or appeals, etc.

– Antonn Brown, BA, (Hons), LLB, MSC, RCIC, is an immigration counsel and an accredited Canadian education agent of JAMAICA2CANADA.COM—A Canadian immigration & education firm in Kingston. Send questions/comments to documents.jamaica2canada@gmail. com

(Photo: ap) In this Tuesday, January 5, 2021, file photo, a health care worker receives a second Pfizer-biontech COVID-19 vaccine shot at Beaumont Health in Southfield, Michigan. New research suggests that Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine can protect against a mutation found in two contagious variants of the coronavirus that erupted in Britain and South Africa. Those variants are causing global concern. They both share a common mutation called N501Y, a slight alteration on one spot of the spike protein that coats the virus. That change is believed to be the reason they can spread so easily.