Fully vaccinated citizens and permanent residents of the United States currently residing in the U.S. will be permitted to enter Canada for discretionary (non-essential) travel starting August 9 at 12:01 a.m. EDT. Direct entry to Canada will continue to be prohibited for U.S. travelers who are not fully vaccinated.

The change will also allow entry of unvaccinated children under 12 years of age, or unvaccinated dependent children (due to a mental or physical condition), who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents currently residing in the U.S. and who are accompanying a fully vaccinated parent, step-parent, guardian or tutor who either has a right to enter Canada (e.g. Canadian citizens and permanent residents), is a U.S. citizen and permanent resident currently residing in the U.S. or is otherwise permitted entry under the U.S. Prohibition on Entry Order made under the Quarantine Act.

This change applies to air, land and marine borders.

Fully vaccinated means that two full weeks have passed since receiving the second dose of a Canada-approved vaccine. Currently, those vaccines are manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD, and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson). Travelers can receive their vaccine in any country, and must provide evidence supporting their vaccination in English, French or with a certified translation (along with the original).

Fully vaccinated travelers must:

  • provide COVID-19-related information electronically through ArriveCAN (app or web portal), including proof of vaccination prior to departing for Canada (subject to limited exceptions);
  • meet the pre-entry testing requirements;
  • be asymptomatic upon arrival; and
  • have a paper or digital copy of their vaccination documentation in English or French (or certified translation, along with the original) ready to show a government official upon request.

The testing and quarantine measures for those arriving in Canada will also be changing on August 9, 2021.

  • Fully vaccinated travelers who are permitted to come to Canada will not need to quarantine.
  • All travelers to Canada will no longer be required to stay at a government-authorized hotel.
  • Fully vaccinated travelers will not need a post-arrival test unless they have been randomly selected to complete a Day 1 COVID-19 molecular test. This shift responds to the pandemic’s evolution and will monitor prevalence in travelers. It will also identify new variants of concern entering Canada and provide intelligence, including vaccine effectiveness.

All travelers must still present a suitable quarantine plan, and be prepared to quarantine, should they not meet all of the conditions required to be exempt from quarantine. They will also be required to follow public health measures in place, such as monitoring for signs and symptoms of COVID-19, wearing a mask when in public and keeping a copy of their vaccination documentation and test results – as well as a list of close contacts and locations visited – for 14 days after entry to Canada.

Access the Re-Opening Canada’s Border one-pager, plus more details will become available in the coming days on Canada’s COVID-19 travel web site.

Resource: Greg Ellis at (317) 264-6881 or email: gellis@indianachamber.com