BackCanada: Random Covid testing will resume for international travellers
Canada: Fully vaccinated travellers arriving in Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, and Montreal could undergo random testing starting Tuesday, July 19
PremiumThe Canadian government said it will resume mandatory random Covid-19 testing of international travellers arriving in the country by air at four major airports.
Fully vaccinated travellers arriving in Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, and Montreal could undergo random testing starting Tuesday, July 19.
According to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), both those who qualify as fully and partially vaccinated or unvaccinated will be completed outside of airports, either via an in-person appointment at select testing provider locations and pharmacies, or a virtual appointment for a self-swab test.
Those selected for random testing must complete the test within one day of their arrival, the government said.
Travellers who do not qualify as fully vaccinated will continue to test on Day 1 and Day 8 of their mandatory 14-day quarantine.
If the arrival test result is positive, 10-day isolation is required, the Canadian health agency said.
Further, the PHAC said that passengers, selected for random testing at one of the four major airports who have connecting flights to other cities in Canada will not have to leave the airport for a test prior to their transfer. Such passengers can get tested at a participating location at their final destination, or through a virtual self-swab appointment.
Ottawa suspended random testing for fully vaccinated travellers last month after airport authorities urged the government to drop the programme as it was causing long delays at the airports.
Canada's Covid qualification test
To qualify as a fully vaccinated traveller, a person must have received two doses of a recognized vaccine (Pfizer or AstraZeneca) or one shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Detecting new starin
The latest order by the Canadian government has come to detect the new Covid-19 variants.
"As demand for travel increases across the world, today's announcement marks an important step in our progress to streamline testing processes outside our airports while preventing the further spread of Covid-19," Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said.
However, tourism industry leaders have criticised the government's decision to reinstate testing for international air travellers. According to tourism industry leaders, the announcement marks a step backward that unfairly targets Canada's tourism sector and negatively impacts Canadian and international travellers.
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