Canada will allow Americans who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to enter the country in mid-August, officials said on Monday.
The Public Health Agency of Canada said that U.S. citizens and permanent residents living in the United States who have received the vaccine at least 14 days before trying to cross the border can enter starting at 12:01 a.m. on Aug. 9, according to a news release from the government of Canada.
They will have to have a full set of vaccines accepted by the Canadian government. That includes vaccines made by Moderna and Pfizer, the AstraZeneca vaccine, and Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine.
“Entry to Canada will continue to be prohibited for U.S. travellers who are not fully vaccinated and for all other foreign nationals, unless they already meet an exemption set out in the Orders made under the Quarantine Act,” the Canadian government’s news release said.
Those who try to cross the border have to “provide evidence supporting their vaccination” in English or French, or with a certified translation of their vaccine.
The government added that they will also have to “provide COVID-19-related information electronically through ArriveCAN (app or web portal) including proof of vaccination prior to departing for Canada,” meet testing requirements before entering, be COVID-19 asymptomatic, and have a digital or paper copy of their vaccination documentation.
Travelers, according to the health agency, will also need to provide Canadian authorities with “a suitable quarantine plan” and will have to “be prepared to quarantine.”
“They will also be required to follow public health measures in place, such as monitoring for signs and symptoms of COVID-19, wearing a mask when in public, and keeping a copy of their vaccination documentation and test results—as well as a list of close contacts and locations visited—for 14 days after entry to Canada,” the release stated.
And starting on Sept. 7, the Canadian government will allow fully vaccinated people from any country to enter unless cases in the country start to rise again.
It’s not clear when the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will allow Canadian travelers to cross into the United States. The Epoch Times has reached out to the agency for comment.
“To reduce the spread of COVID-19, the United States extended restrictions on non-essential travel at our land and ferry crossings with Canada and Mexico through July 21, while ensuring access for essential trade & travel,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement to several news outlets on Monday.
“DHS also notes positive developments in recent weeks and is participating with other U.S. agencies in the White House’s expert working groups with Canada and Mexico to identify the conditions under which restrictions may be eased safely and sustainably,” the DHS added.
Over the past few months, Republican lawmakers have expressed concern about what they said is the suppression of religious freedom within Canada, and they’ve asserted that the Canadian government has used COVID-19 lockdown orders to unfairly target churches and religious leaders.
“Frankly, I would expect this sort of religious crackdown in Communist China, not in a prominent Western nation like Canada. Canadian authorities’ arrest of faith leaders and seizure of church property, among other enforcement actions, appear to constitute systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom,” Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said in a letter last month to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.
From The Epoch Times
