No start date yet for airport COVID-19 testing of travellers arriving in Canada

Federal officials have not yet decided when the new on-arrival COVID-19 testing requirements for all air travellers coming from outside of Canada will come into effect, or whether the policy will be expanded to include those coming in from the United States.

Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said that while talks have begun with provinces over the newly-announced Omicron-prompted travel measures, no decisions have been made yet as to whether the policy will fold in American travellers, but the government is ready to if required.

“Depending on the changing situation, depending on the conditions in the U.S… It’s still very fluid but if circumstances change we will change our decision,” he said.

On Tuesday the federal government announced that international travellers will soon be tested at the airport when they land in Canada, on top of the existing pre-departure test requirement, but didn’t put a date on when these new rules would come into effect.

Those who are vaccinated will have to isolate until they get a negative result, and those who are unvaccinated will continue to have to isolate for the full 14 days and test on day one and day eight of their quarantine.