New Changes For U.S.-Canadian Border Restrictions

The Canadian government is relaxing some of its safety measures for fully vaccinated travelers crossing into Canada. 

The COVID-19 guidelines at the border have changed as of February 28 due to the current nature of the pandemic.

According to a news release by the Canadian government, recent data has indicated that the latest wave of COVID-19 is driven by the Omicron variant has passed its peak in Canada, which is a big influence behind Canadian territories deciding to adjust their public health measures and the border protocol.

It is the news that everyone has been longing for here, and perhaps the people who have been the most eager about getting back to a sense of border normalcy are the families who are split from Canada to the United States. 

Marcella Picone has been one of the biggest pushers behind getting the border protocols to relax a bit. She is an activist with “Families Are Essential,” which is a Facebook group that works to reunite those families that have been separated by borders due to the pandemic. 

As of now, fully vaccinated travelers crossing into Canada are still subject to testing. However, fully vaccinated travelers coming into the U.S. are not subject to COVID-19 testing.

Starting on February 28, the Canadian Government is making the following adjustments:

• Antigen tests will be accepted
• Travel health notice drops to level 2
• Randomized testing returns

The Canadian Minister of Transport said they “will continue to evaluate our measures and will not hesitate to make necessary adjustments [to keep] our transportation system safe.”

Here are some things to remember before you travel across the U.S.-Canadian Border:

Do not travel if you:

• currently have symptoms of COVID-19
• are in COVID-19 related quarantine or isolation
• have tested positive or had symptoms of COVID-19 within the last 10 days
• are waiting for the results of a COVID-19 test
• have been in close contact with someone who has or is suspected to have COVID-19

If you are well and decide to travel:

• Make sure you have fulfilled the necessary COVID-19 testing and vaccination requirements, as well as other entry requirements for your destination.