Ottawa relaxes rules for travelers arriving in Canada | Coronavirus

Children aged 5 to 11 accompanied by a suitably vaccinated adult and people who are not vaccinated because they have a medical exemption for this purpose will also not have to provide a quarantine plan on arrival. at the airport.

Another relaxation: children aged 5 to 11 who are not vaccinated, or partially vaccinated, accompanied by a fully vaccinated adult, will no longer have to undergo a screening test for COVID-19 prior to entry into Canada. However, these tests are required for travelers aged 12 and over, unvaccinated or partially vaccinated, who are authorized to travel to the country.

In addition, still following April 25, the following measures will no longer be required for travelers during the 14 days following their arrival in the country:

• wear a mask in public places, in provinces and territories where this requirement has already been lifted;
• watch for signs or symptoms of illness and report them if they develop;
• self-quarantine if another traveler in the same group of travelers shows signs or symptoms of the disease or tests positive for the disease;
• maintain a list of close contacts and places frequented.

<q data-attributes="{"lang":{"value":"fr","label":"Français"},"value":{"html":"Si on est complètement vacciné, ce n'est pas nécessaire de rester en quarantaine pour 14days”,”text”:”If you are fully vaccinated, it is not necessary to stay in quarantine for 14 days”}}”>If you are fully vaccinated, there is no need to stay in quarantine for 14 dayssaid Dr. Howard Njoo, deputy chief public health officer for Canada, during the press briefing he usually gives on Fridays with Dr. Theresa Tam. It’s a good time to relax the rules, according to him. And these relaxations are possible thanks to continuous analysis of the situation at the border and within the country, and thanks to the fact that the vast majority of Canadians are vaccinated.

On Friday, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) said it welcomed more than a million travelers to the country last week. Since the start of the pandemic two years ago, this is the first time that this number has been so high.

As an indication, during mid-April, in 2019, the CBSA had welcomed 1,875,542 travelers, in the ground, air, marine and rail modes of transport.

Where to wear the mask?

In sectors under federal jurisdiction, such as air, maritime and rail transport, wearing a face covering is required indoors, as well as at airports. Wearing a mask is always a good idea in crowded places and in closed spaces where contact is closeDr. Njoo recalled.

Outside of places under federal jurisdiction, you have to rely on the rules established by the provinces and territories.

In Ontario, for example, wearing a mask in hospitals, long-term care centers and public transit is maintained until June 11, at the earliest. In other public places in the province such as restaurants, stores and schools, face coverings are no longer required since March 21.

Ontario recorded on Friday a slight drop in the number of hospitalizations compared to the previous day. On the other hand, the number of intensive care patients had reached a new high since the start of the sixth wave of coronavirus contamination.

In Quebec, Thursday, the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, extended for two weeks the period during which wearing a mask is compulsory in public places and transport. On Friday, Quebec public health reported of 2410 people hospitalized in the province, 5 more than the day before.

Cautious optimism

Heading into the Easter long weekend, COVD-19 remained prevalent in the country, Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, said Friday. However, in some jurisdictions, early warning signs suggested that the rate of transmission had peaked.

Despite everything, COVID-19 is still very present, and more than 70% of the cases of contamination sequenced are associated with BA.2, a subvariant of Omicron.

According to Dr. Tam, it is still too early to say whether the rallies that punctuated the Easter weekend will lead to an increase in the number of cases.

<q data-attributes="{"lang":{"value":"fr","label":"Français"},"value":{"html":"Bien que préoccupante, la récente hausse des taux d'hospitalisation […] seems manageable, continued Dr.Njoo. Intensive care caseloads remain low.”,”text”:”While concerning, recent increases in hospitalization rates […] seems manageable, Dr. Njoo continued. The number of intensive care cases remaining low.”}}”>Although concerning, the recent rise in hospitalization rates […] seems manageable, Dr. Njoo continued. The number of cases in intensive care remains low.

Travel: three doses soon required?

The last week of April is National Immunization Awareness Week, and public health authorities reiterate the importance of being up to date in this regard: Get your booster dosesrepeated Dr. Tam.

Asked if travelers will soon be required to have obtained three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to be allowed to leave, Dr. Tam replied that this decision was up to the federal Minister of Health.

In the age of Omicron, having had three doses of vaccine is certainly bettershe recommended.