Canada may begin accepting Americans into the nation for recreational or tourism purposes in mid-August, according to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's office. Since March 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic imposed travel restrictions, the border has been closed to most Americans.
The reopening date is contingent on Canada's vaccination rollout continuing at its current accelerated pace and new, confirmed Covid-19 cases remaining at some of the lowest levels in the developed world, according to a statement released following a teleconference between Trudeau and Canada's provincial and territorial leaders.
Trudeau said that Canadian and US officials are in talks about reopening their 5,500-mile land border to tourists and that Canada may be able to begin allowing fully vaccinated US citizens and permanent residents into Canada for nonessential travel as early as mid-August.
Canada loosens Covid-19 restrcitions
Per Daily Mail, Canada began loosening its rules earlier this month, enabling fully vaccinated Canadians and permanent legal residents to return to the country without having to undergo quarantine. However, they must pass a virus test before returning, as well as another after they have returned.
Exemptions for travel into Canada during the pandemic are politically sensitive, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that a federal election would be held next month. Trudeau's ministers will offer more details on the border early next week, he said.
Since the onset of the pandemic, commercial traffic between the two nations has been usual. Canadians with a negative COVID-19 test can fly into the United States.
According to the US Travel Association, each month the border is closed costs $1.5 billion. Officials in Canada estimated that around 22 million international visitors visited the country in 2019, with over 15 million of them coming from the United States.
Trudeau is set to call elections next month, and overseas travel in Canada during the pandemic has become a contentious political issue. However, the most recent polling data suggests that Canadians overwhelmingly accept their leader's cautious stance.
According to an Angus Reid Institute survey issued on Thursday, almost half of Canadians approve of Trudeau's handling of the pandemic. Trudeau's positive evaluations outnumbered his negative ones for the first time since January, as per The Independent via MSN.
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When will Canada allow vaccinated foreigners other than the US?
The poll showed around 69%of respondents backed a ban on non-essential travel until 75% of Canadians had been properly vaccinated. The government's decision to relax quarantine regulations for fully vaccinated Canadian citizens was supported by about 54% of the participants.
By early September, the Prime Minister said the government may allow fully vaccinated foreigners. When speaking with the leaders of Canada's provinces, Trudeau stated that the border may open if the country's favorable trend in vaccination rates and public health conditions continues. He went on to add that talks with the US were underway to let fully vaccinated US nationals and permanent residents into Canada for non-essential travel by mid-August.
Canada extended its ban on passenger flights from India and Pakistan last month, citing an increase in incidents in both countries. The Canadian Minister of Transport, in a notice to airmen (NOTAM), opined that prohibiting both scheduled and non-scheduled flight operations from India or Pakistan is "essential" for aviation safety and the protection of the public. Private and charter aircraft are likewise subject to the prohibition, although cargo and ferry flights are exempt. The ban does not apply to planes that make technical stops in India or Pakistan, Republic World reported.
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