Ottawa (CNN) — Canada introduced it would elevate its Covid-19 pre-entry check requirement for absolutely vaccinated vacationers starting April 1, saying Thursday that the pandemic was coming into a “transition part.”
The requirement can be dropped for air, land and water ports of entry.
Nevertheless, the announcement got here with a warning that journey restrictions could have to be reimposed.
“Because the climate warms up and other people spend extra time outdoors, we are able to count on to see transmission decline within the coming months, however we’ve got to be ready for a waning of collective and particular person immunity,” stated Jean-Yves Duclos, Canada’s well being minister, throughout a information briefing Thursday.
Duclos added in a press release that absolutely vaccinated vacationers should still be chosen at random to take a check upon entry to Canada however will not be required to quarantine whereas awaiting their outcomes.
Unvaccinated and partially vaccinated vacationers who’re eligible to enter Canada will nonetheless should take a Covid-19 molecular check on arrival and on day 8. They’ll nonetheless be required to quarantine for 14 days.
Whereas Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated Wednesday that after two years of restrictions, Canadians are “fairly rattling drained” of the pandemic, well being officers have been cautious, saying the virus can be “with us for a really very long time.”
Well being Canada says greater than 80% of Canadians are actually absolutely vaccinated. Canada is now reporting greater than 37,000 deaths due to Covid-19 because the pandemic started.
For the week starting March 7, Well being Canada reported that hospitalizations continued to lower as did ICU admissions.
High picture: Toronto Pearson Worldwide Airport on April 1, 2020, in Toronto, Canada. (Cole Burston/Getty Photographs)