Canada has extended its border measures for travellers entering the country for at least another month.
The federal government announced Tuesday (May 31) that it is extending the current border measures until at least June 30, 2022.
In late April, some of the requirements for fully vaccinated travellers were changed. They no longer have to provide a quarantine plan on entry, follow certain safety and reporting protocols for 14 days, or quarantine if another traveller in the same travel group exhibits signs or symptoms or tests positive.
Additionally, Canada also dropped the pre-entry testing requirement for unvaccinated and partially vaccinated children ages five to 11 who are accompanied by fully vaccinated adults.
The rules for partially vaccinated or unvaccinated adult travellers remained unchanged, however.
But locals looking to travel outside of the country need to keep several things in mind.
Canada no longer requires a coronavirus rapid antigen test to return home — but your destination might
As many countries around the world drop their COVID-19 testing requirements, including Canada, it might be tempting to book a ticket and head to the airport without worrying about the hassle of wrangling an expensive, time-consuming test.
But many popular destinations still require a rapid antigen test, including the United States. Moreover, many countries have different requirements depending on the state, province, territory or region.
Of course, some countries have dropped their requirement, including Ireland and New Zealand, so you also don't want to pay for a test that you don't need.
A word of caution for travellers with layovers, however: If you have a stopover in the United States en route to a test-free destination, you'll still need to present proof of a negative coronavirus test because you are transiting through one of its airports.
Find out more information about travelling to the United States as a B.C. resident.
Masking policies
Travellers flying into or out of Canadian airports must need to mask up, both inside of the terminal and on the plane. They must also don masks when they board cruise ships.
Additionally, any plane that is flying back into or out of a Canadian airport requires masks. In other words, it doesn't matter if the flight originates or ends up in the U.S. — if it's destined for the Great White North, you'll need to stay masked up.
Proof of vaccination for travel: ArriveCAN App remains in place
All travellers, regardless of how long they were away from Canada, continue to be required to submit their mandatory information via ArriveCAN (free mobile app or website), including contact and travel information, as well as proof of vaccination.
If you don’t submit your travel information and proof of vaccination using ArriveCAN you could be fined $5,000.
Be cautious of third party, fraudulent web pages and apps that may be posing as ArriveCAN and asking you for payment. If you suspect that a website is posing as ArriveCAN, file a report with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
Note: There is an updated version of the App that was released on May 15. If you have not clicked update or downloaded the most recent version, you may be asked to submit specific information that’s no longer required.
Find out how to use the app with Vancouver Is Awesome's guide.
