Canada to Drop Travel Mask Mandate and Entry Restrictions on Oct. 1
by Daniel McCarthy
Canada's border travel rules are changing. Photo: Shutterstock.com
Effective Oct. 1, the federal government of Canada will no longer enforce the remaining COVID-19 vaccination and quarantine mandates for inbound travelers.
That means that starting then, travelers will be able to enter Canada without a random COVID-19 test at the border, will no longer have to complete their ArriveCan application prior to entry, and will be able to fly or travel on trains without masking up. Unvaccinated Canadians returning to the country will no longer have to quarantine upon arrival.
The news marks a significant shift in the rules for travelers entering, or returning, to Canada.
In a statement, the government of Canada said that the removal “has been facilitated by a number of factors, including modeling that indicates that Canada has largely passed the peak” of the Omicron wave, along with high vaccination rates, lower hospital and death rates, and increased treatments available for COVID-19.
More details are expected to be shared during a press conference featuring Canada’s Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos and Transport Minister Omar Alghabra on Monday morning.
