Trudeau: Negative COVID Tests To Be Required At Canada’s Land Borders Starting Monday
February 9, 2021 Jim Byers
Canadians and visitors crossing into Canada by land will be required to have a negative test for COVID-19 starting next Monday, Feb. 15, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau said today.
Speaking to the media in Ottawa, Trudeau said Canadians and other visitors will need to present a negative PCR-style test taken with 72 hours of their arrival at the border. That includes Canadian snowbirds.
Trudeau said Canadian citizens and permanent residents can’t be prevented from entering Canada without a test, but that fines of up to $3,000 per person could be imposed.
It’s not clear what would happen if a visitor didn’t have a negative test, but they would presumably be denied entry into Canada.
The Canadian border has been closed to all but essential traffic since March of 2020, but there are exemptions for Canadians coming home and for people who need to travel for emergencies or for some family reasons.
Trudeau today again stated that further measures regarding arrivals at Canadian airports will be announced “in the next few days.”
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