The United States land border will reopen to Canadian travelers on Nov. 8 for the first time since Mar. 2020.
Many are breathing a sigh of relief, as the closure for some has prevented in-person visits with family and friends in the United States.
Canadians will have to be fully vaccinated if they wish to travel to the US, though it is not yet clear what this will mean for individuals who have received mixed vaccine doses. Currently in Canada, a first dose of AstraZeneca followed by either Moderna or Pfizer is being recognized, but this is not the case for our neighbors to the south.
Thunder Bay-Superior North MP and Federal Minister of Health Patty Hajdu says we should all ask ourselves important questions prior to planning any trips.
“Canadians need to be cautious when making decisions about whether to travel,” explains Hajdu. “Obviously with the United States there’s less anxiety around rapid changes of stance at the border, but some areas of the United States are having severe and prolonged COVID outbreaks and that’s obviously something that every Canadian should be thinking about as they decide whether or not this is the time to travel for them.”
Many are wondering what this will mean for Canadian travelers when they return home. Minister Hajdu goes on to explains the policies and protocols that are currently in place.
“As long as they themselves are fully vaccinated when they return they won’t have to quarantine,” says Hajdu. “They’ll have to be fully vaccinated anyway to leave so that’s good news. They will still have to fulfill the other requirements of coming back to Canada including a PCR test taken within 72 hours of their arrival at the Canadian border. As of right now that’s part of our strategy to make sure we’re doing a full review of travelers and making sure that we understand what kinds of rates of infection are happening for travelers to other destinations.”
The border restrictions were set to expire Oct. 21, but are now extended until the official reopening.
