Canada Mandates Random Covid-19 On-arrival Testing
The pandemic's after-effects are yet to fade away completely. This is to say, in the recent announcement made by Health Canada on 14th July; Canada is making random Covid-19 on-arrival testing a compulsory precaution to be taken by the authorities. The selection will be completely random and is subject to apply to all travelers regardless of their vaccination status. This means that all fully vaccinated travelers can also be selected for random testing.
More so, people traveling in from the four major cities of Canada Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, and Toronto may have to get tested for the virus outside the airport. However, they can choose between in-person Covid-19 tests from the testing provider location or getting it done at the airport. Additionally, travelers can book a virtual test appointment as well. This new measure applies to Canadian Citizens and Permanent Residents as well, although; passengers with connecting flights can still go on to their final destination without waiting for the test result.
Regardless, travelers who are not fully vaccinated will still need an on-arrival test get done on the first and eighth day of travel. Additionally, they need to be quarantined for two weeks. The two mandatory tests to be done can again be booked virtually or in person at their accommodation location which grants them the necessary facilities for quarantine and testing.
Given that any traveler is chosen for the random testing, they are legally obliged to do so and cannot refuse under any circumstance. In case they refuse, they will need to undergo a compulsory quarantine or pay the fine or worse, face the enforcement measures. In a situation where the traveler is found to test positive, they need to be isolated for 10 days regardless of their vaccination status. These measures are put into place to detect any new floating measures of the infamous Coronavirus.
Published Date: 18th July 2022