The Canadian border will be open to unvaccinated travelers for the first time since the worldwide coronaviruses vaccine campaign began after Canada dropped its Covid-19 vaccine requirement.
Canada will no longer require Covid vaccine for travel on October 1st.
Canadian and foreign travelers will no longer have to submit proof of vaccinations or pre- travel testing when they enter the country on Saturday.
Canada's Public Health Agency said in a statement on Monday that the country is lifting the requirements due to its high vaccination rate, low coronaviruses hospitalization and death rates, increased availability of vaccine boosters and rapid tests, and the peak of the BA.4 and BA.5 coronaviruses waves
The move comes one week after Canadian members of Parliament and border-city mayors wrote a letter calling on Prime Minister Trudeau and US President Joe Biden to lift "unnecessary" travel restrictions.
Canada has joined a list of 85 countries and territories without Covid-19 entry requirements, following similar moves by Japan last month.
Under U.S. policy, non-U.S. citizens who travel by air, sea or land need to be fully vaccined. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requires full vaccination for non-U.S. citizens before boarding a flight, with limited exceptions for children under 18 and people with certain medical conditions.
According to government data, Covid-related hospitalizations are on the decline in Canadian provinces. The majority of Canadians have received at least one dose of the vaccine. Despite the high vaccination rate, Canadian officials came under fire for strict vaccine mandates at the country's border with the United States, most notably in January, when truck drivers unhappy with the vaccine rules protested across the country. Emergency measures were used by Trudeau to break the blockade. Prior to Monday's announcement, Canada had required full primary vaccination for non-Canadian citizens entering the country, with only a few exceptions for people coming for medical treatment, people with medical conditions and people coming for funerals.
Canada's Health Minister said "we expect Covid-19 and other respiratory Viruses will continue to circulate over the cold months" People are urged to get vaccine booster shots.
Border vaccine rules, mandatory use of ArriveCAN, mask mandates on planes, and trains are all over the place.
Arrive can be optional for travelers.
Canada will remove all travel restrictions on October 1st.
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