Canada to remove Covid-19 vaccination requirements for all travellers

Canada will remove vaccination requirements for all travelers and make the ArriveCan app optional, starting on October 1, 2022.

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) PHAC, all travellers will no longer need to comply with the following requirements as of October 1, 2022:

• submit public health information through the ArriveCAN app or website;
• Vaccination proof;
• undergo pre- or on-arrival testing;
• carry out COVID-19-related quarantine or isolation;
• Monitor and report if they develop signs or symptoms of COVID-19 upon arriving to Canada.

In addition, masks will no longer be mandatory on flights or trains within Canada.  According to PHAC, Canada’s removal of travel restrictions is due to its high vaccination rates, lower hospitalizations and deaths, and availability of vaccine boosters. Masks remain a strong recommendation from the government, and travellers should closely monitor their health.

ArriveCan will become optional

Travelers arriving from abroad will no longer be required to download the ArriveCan app. For CBSA agents to verify travel plans and vaccinations, travellers will no longer need to upload them onto the app.

No requirements for domestic travel

In response to the global outlook for the COVID-19 pandemic, this announcement was expected. A decline in cases has been observed as more people are vaccinated and the virus becomes endemic, like the common cold, rather than pandemic.

The vaccination requirement for domestic and outbound travel has already been suspended in Canada since last June. The suspension of those vaccine mandates was attributed to a better public health situation at the time as 90% of Canadians already had COVID-19 vaccines.

As of the start of the pandemic, there have been over 612 million recorded COVID-19 cases and more than six million deaths. These numbers are likely higher as many people do not get tested or otherwise diagnosed.