The federal government announced major changes to border measures for fully-vaccinated Canadians Tuesday afternoon.
In a live press conference, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos announced, as of February 28th, fully vaccinated Canadians who return to Canada from travelling abroad will no longer have to take a molecular test, such as a PCR test.
Currently, travellers entering the country must show proof of a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of their departing flight or arrival at the Canadian border and quarantine until their test comes back negative.
Now, fully vaccinated travellers who travel abroad will no longer have to take a PCR test upon their return.
Travellers will still be required to take a pre-arrival test, but can instead opt for a rapid antigen test, which is less expensive and provides a quicker result than a molecular test.
Travellers can also opt for a rapid antigen test approved by the country they are coming from.
Upon arrival, fully-vaccinated travellers may still be randomly selected for PCR testing, but travellers won’t be required to quarantine while awaiting those results.
The federal government still currently advises against all non-essential international travel.
