Canada will likely reopen its borders to fully vaccinated US citizens from August, prime minister Justin Trudeau has said, with non-essential travel for vaccinated citizens from other countries expected to follow in September.
“Canada would be in a position to welcome fully vaccinated travellers from all countries by early September,” according to a summary of a meeting with provincial leaders provided by the prime minister’s office late Thursday. “He noted the ongoing discussions with the United States on reopening plans, and indicated that we could expect to start allowing fully vaccinated US citizens and permanent residents into Canada as of mid-August for non-essential travel.”
In the meeting, Mr Trudeau said that Canada continues to lead the G20 countries in the inoculation drive, with 80 per cent of the eligible Canadians receiving their first dose of the covid-19 vaccine, while 50 per cent of Canadian being fully vaccinated. The number of reported cases and the severity of infection continues to decline with the increase in the vaccination rate, he added.
Canada began lifting its international travel restrictions earlier this month as it allowed fully vaccinated Canadians and its permanent legal residents to return to the country without quarantining. The country still requires a negative RT-PCR test before returning and another test upon arrival.
The Trudeau administration’s insistence on maintaining travel restrictions along the US-Canada border has drawn widespread criticism from business leaders and US lawmakers.
Canada has however maintained that it would ease its border restrictions for tourists and business travellers after 75 per cent of its residents are fully vaccinated. The government hopes to have enough vaccines by the end of July to fully inoculate 80 per cent of residents eligible for the coronavirus vaccines.
Additional reporting from the wires
