- Unvaccinated foreign tourists will not be allowed into Canada “for quite a while,” according to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
- Canada will no longer require fully vaccinated returning citizens to quarantine, as of this week; however, non-essential foreign travelers will still not be allowed to enter the country
- In determining when to open Canada’s borders, Trudeau earlier said authorities are monitoring vaccination rates, the spread of variants, and how the rest of the world deals with COVID-19
OTTAWA, Canada: Unvaccinated foreign tourists will not be allowed into Canada “for quite a while,” according to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“I can tell you right now that’s not going to happen for quite a while,” said Trudeau, as quoted by Reuters.
Canada will no longer require fully vaccinated returning citizens to quarantine, as of this week.
However, non-essential foreign travelers will still not be allowed to enter the country.
The ruling comes even as considerable pressure has been placed on the government by the Canadian and U.S. tourism industries.
“The next step we’ll be looking at what measures we can allow for international travelers who are fully vaccinated,” he said. “We will have more to say in the coming weeks.”
In determining when to open Canada’s borders, Trudeau earlier said authorities are monitoring vaccination rates, the spread of variants, and how the rest of the world deals with COVID-19.
Some 78 percent of people aged 12 years or older in Canada have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Officials also report that some 44 percent of people 12 years or older are fully vaccinated.
While the Canadian-U.S. border remains closed to non-essential travel, which began in March 2020, the government has said a decision on reopening will be announced by July 21.