Canada scraps pre-entry testing

The Canadian government will no longer require vaccinated travelers to get tested for Covid-19 before entering the country, starting on April 1.

Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos announced the change on Thursday, saying in prepared remarks that “high vaccination rates and strong adherence to public health measures have pushed us through the peak of the Omicron wave.”

The move comes as Covid restrictions across the country are loosened. Previously the federal government had required a pre-entry molecular Covid test.

“As the weather warms up and people spend more time outside, we can expect to see transmission decline in the coming months, but we have to be prepared for a waning of collective and individual immunity,” Duclos said.

Vaccinated travelers entering Canada may still have to undergo random testing after April 1, he said. There is no change to testing requirements for unvaccinated or partially vaccinated travelers who must still do a PCR test upon arrival and quarantine for 14 days.

As Executive Traveller reported yesterday, Air Canada will resume daily flights between Sydney and Vancouver from May 1, with the Brisbane-Vancouver route returning from July 1.

Additional reporting by David Flynn