OTTAWA—An announcement could come as soon as Friday on how fully vaccinated people can more easily travel between Canada and the U.S as the first step in a plan to reopen the border.
Less than eight per cent of the Canadian population is at that mark, and although about 42 per cent of Americans have had both shots, the announcement is unlikely to mean hordes of tourists can come roaring across the border this weekend.
Instead, multiple sources told the Star, the announcement will signal the start of what will be a long process of gradually peeling back every single layer of public health protection at the border, which has been closed to most for nearly 15 months.
The current closure order expires June 21, so many eyes are on that day for the start of a new approach.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau refused Tuesday to confirm that target.
“When there are announcements
to make, you can be sure we’ll be making them,” Trudeau said at a news conference in Ottawa.
But he did make it clear that those who are fully vaccinated will be the first to benefit from any rollbacks on travel restrictions.
“We need people to get the full two doses of their vaccines,” Trudeau said, “and that’s why easing of restrictions will be focused on Canadians who are fully vaccinated.”
Last month, the federal panel on COVID-19 testing and screening laid out guidelines for the resumption of travel.
Currently, the border is closed
to all but essential trips, although citizens and permanent residents are allowed into Canada no matter the purpose of their trip abroad.
When they arrive — along with some people whose travel is deemed essential — they are subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine and repeat COVID-19 testing.
The panel’s recommendations included an end to hotel stays during the mandatory quarantine. For fully vaccinated travellers, it recommends no quarantine and just a single COVID-19 test on arrival to ensure they aren’t infected.
Making the announcement by
Friday would give 10 days for the first of any changes to roll out. It would also come while Justin Trudeau is in the U.K. for the G7 summit, where the manner in which global economies will gear up post-pandemic is the main topic. With U.S. President Joe Biden in attendance, a chance to make a feel-good announcement on the border could be a win for both countries.
Biden is facing pressure to act from border states and the U.S. travel industry, and baby steps are coming from his administration too. On Tuesday, the U.S. State Department upgraded its travel advisory for Canada, from “do not travel” to “reconsider travel.”
How to prove someone is vaccinated seems to be a sticking point for Canada’s premiers, who Trudeau has said he’d like to have onside when it comes to a border reopening plan.
Ontario and Quebec have raised questions about standardized proof of vaccination in their talks with Ottawa, even as they don’t agree on how or when to open the border at all.
With many of Quebec residents expected to be doubly vaccinated by the end of August, Premier Franois Legault said it’s feasible that Quebecers might be able to travel to other countries by then.
But, he told a news conference, there’s still the issue of how to manage travellers from other countries.
In Ontario, Premier Doug Ford’s government has aggressively opposed any loosening of border controls, citing what it says were lax restrictions that led to the deadly third wave of the pandemic in the province.
In a letter sent to federal ministers, Health Minister Christine Elliott and Solicitor General Sylvia Jones urged caution, especially with the rise in the spread of variants.
“The requirements for fully vaccinated international arrivals should include proof of vaccination that is recognized by Health Canada and our international allies, plus a mandatory COVID-19 test upon arrival that facilitates genomic sequencing to identify any new variants,” they wrote in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by the Star.