Canada to lift some border restrictions July 5; next steps months away

OTTAWA - Canada said on Monday it would start cautiously lifting border restrictions for fully vaccinated citizens on July 5 but made clear it would be months before U.S. and other foreign travelers could enter the country.

From 11:59 p.m. EDT on July 5 (0359 GMT on July 6), those who have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine will no longer have to spend time in quarantine. The move applies to Canadians and permanent residents. "This is the first phase of our precautionary approach ... at this time we are not opening up our borders any further," said Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc. Ottawa first announced the plan on June 9.