Crossing the border to get easier
Canadians who leave for less than 72 hours don’t need to get a COVID-19 test as of Nov. 30
Fully vaccinated Canadians will soon no longer need a negative COVID-19 test to re-enter the country if they take short trips abroad, the federal government announced Friday.
Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said the dropped testing requirement will apply to all fully vaccinated Canadians, permanent residents and people registered under the Indian Act who are outside the country for less than 72 hours, as of Nov. 30.
The new rule will not apply to foreign nationals, including international students and foreign workers who live in Canada.
The move comes after business groups called for the federal government to scrap the testing requirement for vaccinated travellers, as advised by a governmentappointed expert panel earlier this month. Moments after the change was announced, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce published a statement that said maintaining the testing requirement for Americans and travellers from other countries was like “putting a oneway door at the border, which will have serious consequences for businesses” near the U.S. border.
Asked why the dropped requirement won’t apply to Americans entering Canada, Duclos said the expert panel provides important advice, but health officials also look at other sources, including the emergence of the Delta variant and levels of pressure on health care systems in Canada.
He also said the per-capita rate of infections in the U.S. is four times higher than in Canada, while in the United Kingdom it is 10 times higher.
“All these circumstances lead the agency to be proceeding, evolving with time, but always be prudent and vigilant when it comes to protecting the health and safety of Canadians,” Duclos said.
Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam added that Canada’s health-care systems are “fragile,” pointing to recent waves of infection that swamped hospitals in Alberta and Saskatchewan. “Now’s not the time to let our guards down,” she said.
As the testing requirement is slated to get lifted for Canadians, COVID rates are surging in western New York and Michigan, where vaccination levels are dramatically lower than Ontario’s and mask mandates weaker or non-existent. It’s not unusual to walk into a store to see only a small fraction of customers wearing masks.
Anyone bound for Buffalo or destined for Detroit and the lures of pro sports, shopping and restaurants needs to be extremely cautious — even if fully vaccinated, said Dr. Kieran Moore, the province’s chief medical officer of health.
“As soon as you go across the border to Michigan, to New York, you’re looking at rates of illness five to six times higher than ours in Ontario,” he told the Star during a briefing. “If you’re ready to take that risk on, please go ahead, monitor your symptoms when you come back. Even two-dose vaccinated, you can get COVID-19.”
On Friday, Michigan issued a public health advisory recommending everyone age two and older wear masks at indoor gatherings regardless of their vaccination status with cases in the range of 7,000 daily and about 17 per cent of all being checked testing positive.
Ontario, with a population onethird larger than Michigan’s, is averaging 625 cases daily and about 2.6 per cent of people being swabbed are testing positive for the virus. While 86 per cent of Ontarians are doubled vaccinated, the rate is just 55 per cent in Michigan.
“We are at another crucial point,” said Elizabeth Hertel, director of the state’s Department of Health and Human Services. “We have the chance to turn the tide and turn these rising numbers around.”
In western New York, 9.3 per cent of people tested for COVID are positive and Gov. Kathy Hochul warned this week during a stop in Buffalo that restrictions may have to be reimposed to curb the rapid spread of the virus with the U.S. Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season approaching.
“This is a high-transmission area,” she said.
Ottawa also plans to change rules to require more incoming professional travellers to be fully vaccinated. As of Jan. 15, professional and amateur athletes — including athletes in leagues like the NHL and NBA — will need to be fully vaccinated to enter Canada, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said Friday.
People travelling to reunite with their families, international students over 18 years old, most temporary foreign workers and truck drivers will also need to be fully vaccinated to enter Canada after that date, Mendicino said.
Exceptions will continue to apply to agriculture and food-processing workers, marine crews, refugees and some children, who will still need tests before and after entering the country, as well as quarantine requirements.