News Making travel plans? New arrival testing & isolation requirements for air travellers returning from non-U.S. countries

 

The federal government now requires all travellers five and up flying into Canada from countries other than the United States to take a COVID-19 test upon arrival at Canadian airports and self-isolate until they receive a negative result, whether or not they are fully vaccinated.

The arrival test is in addition to the already required negative pre-entry PCR test that must be taken within 72 hours of scheduled flights into Canada. If an arrival test is not available, travellers will be given a take-home test.

Vaccinated travellers must isolate until they receive a negative result from their arrival test. Unvaccinated travellers must isolate for the full 14 days and test on Day 1 and Day 8 of their quarantine. As long as travellers have a safe place to isolate, they do not have to stay in a government quarantine hotel.

IMPORTANT: The 14-day rule remains in effect for students who are not fully vaccinated, regardless of whether they are returning from the U.S. or another country. Students who are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated CANNOT attend school for 14 days following their return, regardless of who they travel with or if they receive a negative PCR test result before and/or after an international flight, according to federal travel guidance around COVID-19.

There are exemptions for travel as part of cross-border custody agreements. For more information on this exemption, check here.

In addition to school, students who are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated cannot attend the following for 14 days after international travel:

• day cares and camps
• settings with vulnerable people (i.e. long-term care facilities)
• large crowded indoor or outdoor settings (i.e. amusement parks, sporting events)
• crowded public transportation that does not ensure physical distancing and masking

Fully vaccinated students can return to school after receiving a negative result from their arrival test, as long as they also received a negative pre-entry PCR test and their second vaccination was at least two weeks prior to their return.

If you decide to travel internationally during the school year, please coordinate with your teacher and school beforehand to ensure your child stays on top of schoolwork while they are away and for the 14 days following their return.

As there are regular updates on requirements for travellers, we recommend you check for updates while planning your trip and again shortly before planned travel. For more information on federal guidance and restrictions, visit canada.ca/coronavirus. For information on provincial measures, visit bccdc.ca/covid19 or call 811.