Canada Considering Massive Update To Travel Rules, Including Loopholes

by SharonKurheg

Due to the continuation of COVID-19, the border between the U.S. and Canada has been closed since March 2020. Although there have been some loopholes for citizens to travel between the two countries, one rule for those traveling into Canada has remained the same: those entering the country must quarantine for 2 weeks upon arriving.

Until now, that quarantine could happen anywhere – one’s own home, a family member’s home, or even a hotel. However, as Canadians continue to travel and cases of coronavirus continue to increase, on top of the looming threat of the more contagious forms of the virus, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, along with the Canadian Premiers, are looking at ways to make non-essential travel even less appealing.

One option they’re considering to curb travel is to change the requirements of the quarantine upon arriving in Canada. Instead of allowing the 14 days of self-isolation to be anywhere, they may require travelers to quarantine at a hotel rather than at their or a family’s home. In fact, Quebec Premier François Legault said in a press release (link is in French. Here’s the English translation) that he is considering “forcing all those returning from travel to do a 14-day quarantine in a supervised hotel room, which they would have to pay for themselves.”

Wow. Sounds like what Australia started doing, back in July, huh?

Trudeau himself implored Canadians not to travel while the country tries to lower its cases of the potentially deadly virus.

“We could be bringing in new measures that significantly impede your ability to return to Canada, at any given moment, without warning,” Trudeau said during a recent news conference. “The bottom line is this: This is not the time to travel either internationally or across the country.”

Meanwhile, CNN Travel has reported that Canadian officials are also working with the Biden administration to lose the “travel loophole” that allows Canadians to enter the U.S easily.

Although the border between the two countries is closed to motor vehicle traffic, and U.S. citizens, with rare exceptions, are not allowed to enter Canada through any means, there was nothing under the Trump administration that impeded Canadians from flying into the United States.

That has allowed hundreds of thousands of travelers to make discretionary trips – snowbirds going to Arizona and Florida for the winter, family member visits, and even a few Canadians going to places such as Walt Disney World –  since March 2020.

With a new administration in the U.S., Canadian officials hope something can be done from the U.S.’s side to discourage Canadians from traveling here at this time.

“We are looking at a number of measures that can include further restrictions on international travel, additional tracing measures, additional quarantine measures and enforcement measures to de-incentivize and discourage people from making unnecessary trips,” said Bill Blair, Canada’s public safety minister.

With the Biden administration considering a quarantine for incoming travelers, the Canadian government may get its wish.

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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary

 

6 comments

Mak January 25, 2021 - 12:26 pm

Refreshingly honest as compared to Biden and the USA. The new travel measures have nothing to do with slowing the virus and no such arguments are made. Rather, this is just a measure to punish people for exercising their human right to travel. You can travel, but we will make you miserable and force you to pay for it with a senseless uncomfortable quarantine in a hotel room cum prison cell.

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SharonKurheg January 25, 2021 - 12:33 pm

Don’t know what you were interpreting but no, it’s to help slow down the virus.

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Marion January 25, 2021 - 1:49 pm

question. is Biden racist right now? because he reinstates the travel ban in most countries and he also adds South Africa on the list to add more flavor. I thought he would do differently. I remember Trump was called racist when he FIRST did this last March 2020. good times.

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SharonKurheg January 25, 2021 - 1:55 pm

Considering the demographics of Biden’s picks for high tier positions (you know, with so few white men….lots of women, people of color, Native Americans, LGBTQ+, etc.), I would say “racist” is THE least thing he could
be accused of.

South Africa has a new variant of COVID. That’s why he’s adding South Africa. From Reuters: “We are adding South Africa to the restricted list because of the concerning variant present that has already spread beyond South Africa,” said Dr. Anne Schuchat, the CDC’s principal deputy director, in an interview Sunday.

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Marion January 25, 2021 - 2:08 pm

“Considering the demographics of Biden’s picks for high tier positions (you know, with so few white men….lots of women, people of color, Native Americans, LGBTQ+, etc.), I would say “racist” is THE least thing he could
be accused of”- that is not the point. the point is we all know that it doesn’t matter what Trump do, people will view it negatively and suddenly Biden is now the Savior which I guess I will hope for.

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SharonKurheg January 25, 2021 - 2:19 pm

I think you just went completely off topic, Marion. You asked if Biden was racist so I explained why he wasn’t. You also suggested that Biden was racist because he added South Africa to the list of countries that can’t fly into the U.S., so I explained how their decision was because of science, medicine and public safety, not racism. I don’t know how or why you decided to bring Trump into the conversation – he had nothing to do with Biden’s lack of racism, nor South Africa’s new COVID variant.

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