Feds scrapping pre-arrival COVID PCR test requirement for fully vaccinated travellers

COVID-19 PCR test requirements for fully vaccinated travellers at the end of the month, officials say.“Today I’m announcing we are easing our border measures,” federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said Tuesday in Ottawa. “It is time to adjust our approach.”As of Feb.

28, a negative rapid antigen or PCR test results will be accepted to meet entry requirements. These tests will need to be administered by a laboratory or health care entity, meaning doing a test at home won’t work.Only those randomly selected for a PCR test at the border will have to take one but will not have to quarantine while waiting for results, Duclos said. ‘Everyone’s done with this,’ Doug Ford says as he speaks of lifting proof of vax requirement The government will also be lifting restrictions for children under 12 who are not fully vaccinated and travelling with fully vaccinated adults, meaning they will no longer need to wait before going to school or daycare.Unvaccinated travellers will continue to be tested on arrival.Additionally, as the spread of Omicron continues to ease, Canada will lower its travel health notice from level three to level two, which means the government will no longer recommend Canadians avoid all travel for non-essential purposes.Duclos made the announcement alongside federal Minister of Transportation Omar Alghabra, Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino, Minister of Tourism Randy Boissonnault and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs Dominic LeBlanc.“All measures are subject to re-evaluation,” Duclos said. “It’s important to note that if the epidemiological situation continues to improve, if hospitalizations continue to diminish and Canadians continue to get their booster shots, further easing of travel.