Fully vaccinated residents of the United States will be allowed to cross the 49th Parallel and visit Canada beginning August 9 at 12:01, the Canadian government announced on Monday. Visitors from “the States” will not be required to undergo a quarantine. Children too young to be vaccinated will be allowed across the border but are advised to stick with their parents and avoid large gatherings. Now that you’ll be free to move about the province, check out our Post Alley guide to B.C. vacation spots that appeared earlier this week.
“Canadians have worked hard and sacrificed for each other and because of that work, we can take this next steps safely,” Canada’s Minister of Health Patty Hajdu said in a statement.
Travelers to the Great White North will have to meet conditions. They must have received two doses of the Pfizer, Moderna,or AstiaZeneca-Oxford vaccines, or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, at least 14 days before arrival. They must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of arrival. Air travelers must show they have been tested within 72 hours of boarding a Canada-bound flight. Canada-bound travelers must submit vaccination information using the ArriveCAN app. They are then emailed a receipt to show at the border, along with proof of vaccination.
Travelers from other countries will be allowed back in the Great White North as of September 7.
The United States has yet to announce a reciprocal policy. “We are continuing to review our travel restrictions: Any decisions about reopening will be guided by our public health and medical experts,” White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Monday.
The Canadians closed their border in March of 2020, and have renewed the closure every month since. The shutdown took place after initial outbreaks of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in border states of Washington and New York. Of late, the situation has been reversed. After experiencing as many as 1,000 new coronavirus cases a day in late winter, British Columbia regularly reports fewer than 60. A total of 18.8 million Canadians are now fully vaccinated. By contrast, the COVID-19 pandemic is flaring up again in the U.S., particularly in Southern states such as Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi,and Alabama that have with low vaccination rates.
