Planning holiday travel? Here's what you need to know
In response to the Omicron variant of concern, Canada and other countries are quickly implementing new COVID-19 travel rules that could impact your holiday air travel. Here's what you need to know.
TRAVELLING IN CANADA
As of Nov. 30, only fully vaccinated Canadians can board a flight, or train in Canada. Proof of vaccination can include the federal vaccine card or in some cases a paper copy.
TRAVELLING TO THE U.S.
As of Dec. 6, anyone two years and older and flying to the United States needs a negative COVID-19 test one calendar day before their flight. However, you don't need this test if crossing at a land border.
Many airports, including Vancouver International Airport, have testing on-site that can get you results in as quick as 30 minutes.
Robyn McVicker, the vice president of Passenger Journey at YVR told CTV News there are four different options in and around the airport, and suggested people could book ahead.
Travelling anywhere else
Each country will have specific entry requirements. Traveller Adam Zia who was Pakistan bound from Victoria said for each stopover he had, including Qatar and London, he had to make sure he checked all the pre-entry requirements and got the necessary tests. He told CTV News the changes were difficult to navigate not only for him but for airline crew.
RE-ENTERING CANADA
Key to re-entry is the ArriveCAN app, but there are difficulties.
CTV News previously reported on issues faced by those who didn't know they needed the app. While it appears some border agents allowed travellers to go back to fill it out, others were slapped with a two week quarantine.
In the House of Commons, the Conservatives pushed the Liberal government to come up with a solution.
MP Raquel Dancho said politicians "have received hundreds of complaints about this."
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendocino promised more flexibility was coming.
"I've spoken with CBSA," he told the house. "So there's additional guidance to provide the opportunity to provide the information that is necessary on ArriveCAN at the borders."
In addition to filling out vaccination and quarantine information on ArriveCAN anyone five and older also needs a negative test within three days of their flight. Everyone except those arriving from the U.S. will be tested at the airport, the fully vaccinated can quarantine at home until they are cleared, and the unvaccinated must quarantine for two weeks at a designated facility.
At YVR, McVicker said the wait time for a test could be up to an hour and encouraged folks to pre-register their information to avoid delays.
"If we are having a busy time peak period, in some of those cases people will be given a take-home kit," she added.
RETURNING FROM THE U.S.
If your trip to the U.S. is less than 72 hours, you don't need a negative test to get back in, but you could still be subject to a random test.
RETURNING WITH CHILDREN
Unvaccinated kids under 12 will have to be tested at the airport on day eight and will need to stay home from public settings, including school for 14 days. Those 12 to 17 who are unvaccinated will have to follow the full 14 day quarantine protocol.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Crypt near Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner could fetch US$400,000 at auction
A one-space mausoleum crypt in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner will go on auction Saturday, when it is expected to reach between US$200,000 and $400,000.
This Toronto restaurant is no longer accepting tips. Here's how it's going
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff – tipping is no longer accepted.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
What new auto insurance reforms will mean for Ontarians, if they get introduced
Ontario has among the highest rates for auto insurance premiums in Canada -- just below Alberta and Nova Scotia -- however, the introduction of an insurance reform in the provincial budget could soon lower prices.