The world has finally started seeing the end of the pandemic as mankind has thankfully been able to live our normal lives after a very long span of more than 2 years. The effect of the Covid 19 has been devastating and it goes without saying that it is something that will be painfully remembered by us humans and never want to happen again.
As every country has been on war footage to tackle the pandemic it has been a challenge for people who have not been able to travel and migrate to other countries. Countries had closed their borders and implemented many travel restrictions in order to control the spread of Covid 19 and Canada is no different. Ever since the pandemic hit the Government of Canada has been following a layered approach to border management with the intention of protecting the health and safety of Canadians. All the different restrictions and continued adjustments in border measures were based on the various data gathering, global announcements, and operations considerations based on epidemiological situations that were applied not only to Canada but across the globe.
“We are not there yet. But the end is in sight,” is what WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesys had earlier in the month told the reporters at a virtual press conference. This statement is the most upbeat assessment from the UN agency ever since it declared an international emergency in January 2020 and started describing COVID-19 as a pandemic three months later.
This has finally bought a sigh of relief for many of us globally and though with a word of caution it is time to say that we have started seeing light at the end of the pandemic tunnel.
With a sense of this optimistic hope, the Government of Canada has announced the removal of all COVID-19 entry restrictions including the testing, quarantine, and isolation requirements for anyone entering Canada from the 1st of October, 2022.
One of the major reasons why Canada has been able to remove the border measures is the fact that Canada has passed the peak of the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 fuelled wave. The country has also seen very high vaccination rates with lower hospitalization and death rates. Along with the vaccination the country has also seen good stats on the number of booster doses taken by the citizens which is an extremely positive sign.
The following are the recently announced travel measures where travelers will not have to:
- Submit public health information through the ArriveCAN app or website.
- Provide proof of vaccination;
- Undergo pre- or on-arrival testing;
- Carry out COVID-19-related quarantine or isolation
- Monitor and report if they develop signs or symptoms of COVID-19 upon arriving in Canada.
- Travelers will no longer have to undergo health checks for travel on air and rail or even wear masks on places and trains.
Although all major COVID19 restrictions have been lifted the Government has also made some strong points of caution to the citizens and travelers.
- All travelers are strongly recommended to wear high-quality and well-fitter masks during their journeys.
- Though the cruise measures are all being lifted and travelers will no longer be required to have pre-board test, be vaccinated, or use ArriveCAN, a set of guidelines will still remain to protect passengers and crew which will be in alignment with the approach used in the United States.
- Individuals are also reminded that they should not travel if they have any symptoms of COVID-19.
- If travelers become sick while traveling, and are still sick when they arrive in Canada, they should inform a flight attendant, cruise staff, or a border services officer upon arrival.
- The Government of Canada also reminds travelers to make informed decisions when considering travel outside of Canada to protect their health and safety.
Final Thoughts: With no doubt, we can say that the pandemic is getting over but we have to remember that the Coronavirus is still not completely eradicated from the planet. The government has come up with the lifting of the COVID-19 restrictions with a word of advice that Canadians can continue to do their part to protect themselves and others, and reduce the spread of COVID-19, by getting vaccinated and boosted, using high-quality and well-fitted masks where appropriate, self-isolating if they have symptoms and self-testing if they can.
