Canada to lift some border restrictions starting July 5

PRESQUE ISLE, Maine (WAGM) - As vaccination rates continue to rise, Canadian Health officials have announced changes at the border.

Fully vaccinated Canadians and permanent residents will be able to enter Canada without undergoing quarantine starting the night of July 5, according to Canadian Minister of Public Safety, Bill Blair. However, he says there are still several protocols that need to be followed.

“Fully vaccinated travelers who are eligible for the reduced measures must meet the pre- and on-arrival test requirements,” Health Minister Blair said. “They must be asymptomatic upon arrival, and they must provide contact and travel information and proof of vaccination electronically through the ArriveCAN app before arriving in Canada.”

Eligible travelers at this time include Canadian citizens and their families that live outside of Canada.

“Travel restrictions for foreign nationals, including US citizens, remain in place until at least July 21st. In other words, foreign nationals coming to Canada for non-essential purposes will be turned away at our borders,” Blair adds.

David Poon, Founder of Faces of Advocacy, a group that’s been working to reconnect families torn apart by the pandemic says, while these changes are a small step in the right direction, there is still work to be done.

“For example is the white CDC card going to be enough saying that you are fully vaccinated,” he said. “If so, will the border guard double check it. If the border guards are double checking it, we need to know the criteria for what the card should look like clearly online. Right now, what we need are clear metrics. If you’re from Europe this is what you need, if you’re from a CDC state this is what you need on your white card. Then at that point you can say we have followed the rules and we can come in.”

WAGM has reached out to US officials about these changes and how they will impact American citizens living in Canada, that want to visit the US.

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