ArriveCAN, mask mandates among changes as Canada drops COVID-19 border rules Federal officials announced earlier this week that a cabinet order affecting mandatory vaccinations, testing and quarantine of international travellers would not be renewed as the new month began.That means travellers to Canada no longer need to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19, while wearing a mask on planes and trains is now optional.British Columbia residents Joanne and Ted Parker say they would have preferred to see the rules stay in place for masks, which are still recommended.“I think they’re an excellent protection,” Joanne Parker said while waiting at Pearson International Airport, just west of Toronto.“And if one person wears them it’s not that helpful, but if everybody wears them it’s really helpful.”But she said she’s already come to terms with the likelihood that mask rules are gone for good.Earlier this week, when the couple flew into Pearson, they noticed some people were flouting the restrictions days before they were lifted, including one fellow passenger who she said ignored a flight attendant’s request to keep their mask on.“I didn’t like it, but I wasn’t going to say anything because I thought at the end of the week it’s going to be OK anyway,” she said.Ted Parker suggested there were “plusses and minuses” to lifting the final COVID-19 travel restrictions.
He hopes one of the upsides will be fewer airport delays as people entering Canada no longer need to fill out the ArriveCan app and are no longer subject to random mandatory tests for the disease.“When you just look around, just casual observation says people are not wearing masks,” he said, adding he remains concerned about new variants of COVID-19.“After two.