Here's Everything Changing At Toronto Pearson Airport As Canada Drops Travel Restrictions

You can walk around without a mask.

People at Toronto Pearson Airport without a mask.

People at Toronto Pearson Airport without a mask.

Writer

The day has finally arrived. Canada's travel restrictions are ending, and Toronto's Pearson Airport will return to its pre-pandemic protocol.

On Monday, September 26, the federal government confirmed that Covid-related travel rules in Canada would be scrapped starting on Saturday, October 1.

At a press conference, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announced that they "are removing COVID-19 measures that remain at the border."

In other words, starting next month, travellers won't be required to prove their COVID-19 vaccination status, use ArriveCAN or undergo random testing on arrival in Canada.

A Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) spokesperson told Narcity in an email that they are "pleased with today's announcement from the Government of Canada that it is lifting remaining border measures including mandatory masking and COVID testing."

What does this mean? Well, you'll be able to walk around the airport without wearing a mask, and you won't need to undergo COVID-19 testing, which was brought back in July.

Additionally, people on planes and trains will no longer be required to wear face coverings or masks on their journeys, regardless of their vaccination status, Alghabra also stated.

Canada Dropping All COVID-19 Border Requirements #shortswww.youtube.com

The GTAA spokesperson added that their industry "faced unprecedented challenges during the pandemic due to strict health measures and regulations that impacted operations."

Now that the travel restrictions have ended, GTAA hopes that "Canada will retake its globally competitive ranking as a travel and tourism hub."

"Toronto Pearson and its industry partners continue to focus on improving the passenger experience at airports," GTAA added.

Last week, Toronto's Pearson Airport ranked super low for customer satisfaction in North America, according to a survey. Not a good look.

Here's to hoping things only get better.

  • Writer

    Mira Nabulsi (she/her) was a Writer for Narcity Media with over five years of journalism experience. Before joining the team, she worked at Xtalks and Discovery Channel. Mira graduated from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) with a Master of Journalism and completed her undergraduate degree from York University. But, now she loves to eat and taste all the different cuisines and culinary experiences the world has to offer.

CRA offers automatic tax filing and it could help 'put more money in your pocket'

You could be eligible for the service without even knowing it.

A meteor in Vancouver last night caused a giant fireball & sonic boom (VIDEO)

The sonic boom was strong enough to register on seismographs. ☄️

Mark Carney says Canada's support for US strikes on Iran came 'with regret'

He also said the strikes appeared "inconsistent with international law."

Daughter of a Canadian woman killed in the Dominican bus crash still has no info on her dad

She first learned of the crash from her uncle, who was also on the bus.

A dessert product sold at Costco has been recalled and you can get a full refund

Some ingredients could cause "potentially life-threatening" reactions.

I grew up in Vancouver — here's what other Canadians will never understand about us

If you get these, you're officially Vancouver-verified. ✅

BC's switch to permanent daylight saving time could cause chaos in some areas

From 10 a.m. sunrises to confusing time zone borders, here's why the move has some residents concerned.