Quarantine Rule Changes Are Coming, Health Minister Says

Quarantine Rule Changes Are Coming, Health Minister Says

May 28, 2021 Jim Byers

Canada’s health minister says Canadians can anticipate changes to quarantine rules for travellers. But she’s not sure when that will take place.

A government science panel is recommending that the hotel quarantine program be dropped, and that substantial changes be made to Ottawa’s quarantine program in general. Health Minister Patty Hajdu and Public Safety Minister Bill Blair downplayed the report on Thursday night, saying the government’s border measures are working and that the government will continue to monitor all available data and evidence.

Hajdu changed her tune today (Friday, May 28), stating in a press conference that the report is “very valuable and very helpful,” and that changes are coming.

“I think we can anticipate that measures will be adjusted,” she said. Noting that COVID-19 numbers are still high in Manitoba and that Alberta was struggling with the virus just a couple weeks ago, the minister said she needs to talk with provincial and territorial leaders before any announcements can be made. They’ll be talking again next week, Hajdu said.

Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, said the report is “absolutely welcome” and that the government “should take this into account.”

Tam noted that the government will have to look at various indicators, including global vaccination rates, before it changes any policies.

“We will certainly be laying a path forwards in the near future,” she said. “If you were looking forward to what is to come in the next months, I do think that some alignment with how resilient the Canadian population is in terms of the vaccinations, how fast we can to some of these goal posts, if you like, will play into that as well.

“It is a very positive picture I think that we are heading into if we don’t let go too quickly and have to deal with a fourth wave or something like that,” Tam continued. “We can tolerate more international travel and people coming into Canada and be able to manage them safely.”

“We do accept the report,” Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Howard Njoo told reporters. “It is a road map.”

Ontario Premier Doug Ford today said the panel report shows the federal government’s plans are “full of loopholes.” Ford said he spoke with Trudeau last night and that there’s been “zero response.”

“That’s unacceptable,” he said.

The federal government’s COVID-19 Testing and Screening Expert Advisory Panel on Thursday called for the abolishment of the controversial hotel quarantine plan, which requires travellers to pay for a three-day stay at an approved airport hotel while they wait for COVID-19 test results. They also said that 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.

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.

Tam said some of the groundwork for proof of vaccination certificates has already taken place.

The president and CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada, Beth Potter, hailed the panel’s recommendation.

“The recommendations outlined in the Expert Panel’s report are inline with the recommendations that TIAC has been making to government,” Potter said in an email to Canadian Travel News. “Easing quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated travellers is supported by the tourism industry, and is a step towards the return of travel in Canada.

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.