Canada Will Now Require Negative COVID-19 Tests for Visitors Arriving by Air

Canada Will Now Require Negative COVID-19 Tests for Visitors Arriving by Air

December 30, 2020 ctn_admin

The Canadian government says it plans to require air travellers to test negative for COVID-19 before they can cleared to land in Canada.

The Canadian Press and other news sites report says cabinet ministers in the Justin Trudeau government decided this morning to quickly enact the new requirement as coronavirus cases continue to spike in some parts of the world

All passengers on flights entering Canada will require a negative PCR test three days before their arrival, CP said.

Global News is reporting that the rules should come into play in a few days.

Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said the presence of Canada Border Service Agency agents will also be increased at border crossings and airports to ensure Canadians understand the newly tightened rules, Global reported.

Blair said the 14-day quarantine requirement for travellers entering Canada remains in place.

“The test must be a PCR test — considered the gold-standard of COVID-19 tests. These tests need to be processed in a lab and usually take at least a day to provide results,” the network said.ttps://canadiantravelnews.ca/2020/12/30/canadian-hotels-and-tourism-operators-need-urgent-relief/

Many other countries around the world have similar requirements.

Ontario set a new daily record for cases today with 2,923, with just over one-third of them in Toronto.

Quebec is reporting 2,511 new cases of COVID-19 and 41 more deaths.

“We strongly advise against travel unless absolutely necessary,” Blair said at a news conference in Ottawa on Wednesday.

“If you must travel, understand that upon your return, you must follow guidelines and quarantine for 14 days. It’s not just the right thing to do — it’s the law. And if you don’t, it can result in serious consequences.”

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has recently accused the federal government of having lax standards regarding entry to Canada and has called for rapid testing of arriving passengers at Ontario’s major airports, including Toronto Pearson.

The National Post today (Wednesday) reported that the “Ontario and federal governments are preparing to unveil a joint COVID-19 rapid testing program at the province’s biggest airport as early as next week, as both sides seek to deflect blame for a growing number of travel-related cases entering Canada.”

The Post quoted a Ford spokesperson as saying that the new pilot program to test international travellers entering Canada through Toronto Pearson International Airport would be unveiled “in the early new year.”

The Ontario and federal governments are preparing to unveil a joint COVID-19 rapid testing program at the province’s biggest airport as early as next week, as both sides seek to deflect blame for a growing number of travel-related cases entering Canada.

A spokesperson for Ontario Premier Doug Ford said a new pilot program to test international travellers entering Canada through Toronto Pearson International Airport would be unveiled “in the early new year.”

The plan is likely to test roughly 315,000 travellers for COVID-19 over a three-month period, but the arrangement has not yet been finalized, the spokesperson said.

“Testing is obviously a key aspect of the recovery,” Susie Grynol, president and chief executive of the Hotel Association of Canada, told Canadian Travel News. “We’re monitoring the developments closely and are hopeful to see quick progress in that area, so that when we have the virus under control and people are allowed to travel again, we can do so in an efficient and safe manner.”