Canadian Govt. Panel Recommends End to Hotel Quarantine + Reduced Quarantine Time

May 27, 2021 Jim Byers

The Canadian government’s COVID-19 expert advisory panel says Canada’s quarantine hotel program should be abolished.

The panel today (May 27) updated its border report and suggested other changes to Canada’s current border rules. Recommendations include a policy that says travellers who are fully vaccinated should no longer need to take a pre-departure test or undergo the mandatory 14-day quarantine and wouldn’t need to take the COVID-19 test seven days after arriving. They also suggested that the controversial hotel quarantine plan be “discontinued.”

Partially-vaccinated travellers would still need to take pre-departure tests within 72 hours of their flight, and another test within 24 hours of arriving, Global News reports. Those testing negative would be allowed to leave quarantine. Unvaccinated travellers, according to the panel, should still have to undergo the same testing methods as partially-vaccinated travellers, but would have to quarantine for seven days until they receive a negative test result.

CTV News says that “one of the many issues they list as problematic with the current model is the fact that some travellers are choosing to pay the fine of up to $3,000 without presenting a legitimate quarantine alternative, as well as the administrative burden associated with managing the hotel quarantine program. They also highlight the inconsistencies between the land- and air-border measures, prompting some travellers to land at U.S. airports and cross into Canada by car to avoid the hotel stay.

CTV also says federal health and transport ministers have said they are working in collaboration with their international counterparts on a “common set of principles” with regards to vaccine documentation or vaccine passports and will unveil a plan shortly for the Justin Trudeau government to consider.

It’s unclear whether the federal government will adopt the recommendations. But, speaking earlier on Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that “there is a point at which we are going to be able to say [quarantine hotels should be eliminated]. When that point arrives, it will be based on the best advice of scientists, doctors, of epidemiologists.”

WestJet late Thursday night said it welcomes the news.

“Over the past 15 months, WestJet has been requesting science-based travel guidance and this report represents a responsible path forward,” said Ed Sims, WestJet President and CEO. “These findings are evidence-based recommendations that are proportionate and reduce risks. We ask that the government immediately prepare a safe restart plan based on this report and current global policies. With vaccinations ramping up, Canadians need to know they can travel once again.”

“As vaccination rates continue to rise, we are optimistic that based off the report’s recommendations, Canadians can look forward to the easement of onerous border measures,” Sims said. ” WestJet will continue to advocate for policy changes that support Canada’s recovery and the restoration of more than 750,000 travel and tourism industry jobs.”

Mike McNaney, President and CEO of the National Airlines Council of Canada, which represents Canada’s largest carriers (Air Canada, Air Transat, Jazz Aviation and WestJet), issued the following statement in response to the report released today by the Federal Government’s COVID-19 Testing and Screening Expert Advisory Panel:

“The report by the Panel contains a series of key recommendations including elimination of quarantine and pre-departure testing for fully vaccinated travellers, elimination of hotel quarantine for partially vaccinated or non- vaccinated travellers, reduction of quarantine duration overall to potentially 7 days instead of 14, and the effective use of rapid antigen testing.

We strongly support these recommendations, and they are in-keeping with policy measures that are already being implemented by other countries as they release their plans for the safe re-start of aviation and travel.

The overall report represents a wide series of data and science-based recommendations, prepared after months of review by an independent advisory panel consisting of experts in epidemiology, virology, as well as advanced data analytics.

With vaccination rates continuing to climb aggressively in Canada, and as provincial governments come forth with their re-start plans, the federal government must move immediately to engage with industry and utilize the Panel’s report as the basis now to implement a clear and strong re-start strategy for Canada.”

Stay tuned for more details and reaction.

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