Canada's Travel Restrictions Will Reportedly Change This Month & Here's What We Know So Far

An update to Canada's travel restrictions could make trips abroad much easier for fully vaccinated people, according to several new reports.

On Friday, February 11, both CBC and CTV News reported that the federal government has plans to eliminate pre-arrival PCR testing for fully vaccinated Canadian travellers.

A senior government source suggested that Ottawa would scrap the requirement at the end of February.

Instead, fully vaccinated travellers will be asked to show proof of a negative antigen test, similar to the measures in place at the U.S. border.

Under Canada's current travel measures, anybody entering the country must provide proof of a negative molecular COVID-19 test — like a PCR test. It must be taken within 72 hours of departure, and the rule applies to those arriving via plane or by land.

PCR tests are considerably more expensive than antigen tests, and some travellers entering Canada have forked over almost $100 to do so. The feds are also spending millions of dollars, per CBC, to randomly test fully vaccinated people upon arrival in Canada.

Since December, a non-essential travel advisory has also remained in place. Although it is not an official rule, the feds have warned that those who do choose to travel abroad could face being "forced to remain outside of Canada longer than expected."

During a COVID-19 update on Friday, several federal officials confirmed that Canada's travel rules would be adjusted "with the worst of Omicron now behind us."

While no official details were given, they did say that the government is "actively reviewing the measures in place at our borders" and confirmed that changes would be communicated within the next week.

"The public health restrictions currently in place, by provinces and territories, in particular, were always meant to be temporary," Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said.

The announcement came less than a day after a number of airlines, airports and doctors slammed the federal government's "obsolete and out of step" travel restrictions.

Protests against Canada's strict border measures have also been taking place across the country since January, with some truckers joining convoys against vaccine mandates and a group of protesters blockading the Ambassador Bridge border crossing between Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, Michigan.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.