Canada has no plans to change negative test requirement for all inbound travellers, public safety minister says
Less than 24 hours after the U.S. announced it will reopen its land border to non-essential Canadian travellers, requiring proof of vaccination, but not a negative COVID-19 test, Ottawa said Canadians shouldn’t expect a reciprocal change.
“At the present time, the advice is we intend to retain (the PCR test),” Bill Blair told CTV’s Power Play.
“It has proven to be exceptionally effective in securing the safety and security and health of Canadians,” Blair told host Evan Solomon.
Canada has long required all returning travellers to provide an approved negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of flight departure time for airline passengers, or within 72 hours of arriving at the land border for those crossing on the ground.
Dr. Brian Conway, the medical director of the Vancouver Infectious Diseases Centre, said the latest testing figures from the border showed a continued need for caution.
“We’ll have to be very careful. It’s not zero risk,” Conway said.
Data from Health Canada shows that between Aug. 9 and Sept. 30, 292 travellers who were fully vaccinated and were subjected to randomized testing at land and airport crossings tested positive for COVID-19.
That’s less than 0.2 per cent of the tests administered, but Conway called it a “significant number.”
“There will be cases acquired from people who go from Canada to the United States and bring them back into Canada,” Conway said.
"The information from the past two months is telling us that. It may even increase," he added.
The U.S. also plans to require all international travellers to show proof they are fully vaccinated, whether flying or driving across the border.
Canadians returning north are required to be fully vaccinated in order to avoid a two-week quarantine.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Another suspect arrested in Toronto Pearson airport gold heist: police
Another suspect is in custody in connection with the gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport last year, police say.
Poilievre-led government 'would never' use notwithstanding clause on abortion, his office says
A Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre would not legislate on, nor use the notwithstanding clause, on abortion, his office says, as anti-abortion protesters gather on Parliament Hill.
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
Miss Teen USA steps down just days after Miss USA's resignation
Miss Teen USA resigned Wednesday, sending further shock waves through the pageant community just days after Miss USA said she would relinquish her crown.
Cyclist strikes child crossing the street to catch school bus in Montreal
A video circulating on social media of a young girl being hit by a bike has some calling for better safety and more caution when designing bike lanes in the city. The video shows a four-year-old girl crossing Jeanne-Mance Street in Montreal's Plateau neighbourhood to get on a school bus stopped on the opposite side of the street
BREAKING 6 injured in Sharbot Lake, Ont. crash; 2 in life-threatening condition
Ontario Provincial Police say six people have suffered severe injuries in a single-vehicle crash in Sharbot Lake, Ont, including two in life-threatening condition.