BREAKING NEWS: Canada To Open Border To Vaccinated Americans on August 9

UPDATED:
Fully Vaccinated Americans Can Enter August 9, 2021
According to the Government of Canada’s website: “American citizens and permanent residents of the United States, who currently reside in the U.S. and who qualify as fully vaccinated travellers, will be able to enter Canada for discretionary travel starting August 9. Unless eligible, other foreign nationals can’t enter Canada at this time.”

Fully Vaccinated People From Other Countries Can Enter September 7, 2021
According to another page on their website: “The Government intends to open Canada’s borders to any fully vaccinated travellers who have completed the full course of vaccination with a Government of Canada-accepted vaccine at least 14 days prior to entering Canada and who meet specific entry requirements on September 7, 2021, provided that the domestic epidemiologic situation remains favourable.”

Accepted vaccines
-Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty, tozinameran, BNT162b2)
-Moderna (mRNA-1273)
-AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD (ChAdOx1-S, Vaxzevria, AZD1222)
-Janssen/Johnson & Johnson (Ad26.COV2.S)
Note: According to Travel.gc: The list of accepted vaccines may expand in the future.

How To Upload Travel Info
All travellers must use ArriveCAN (the app or web portal) to submit their travel information. If they are eligible to enter Canada and meet specific criteria, fully vaccinated travellers will not have to quarantine upon arrival in Canada.

Which Airports?
International flights carrying passengers will be permitted to land at the following Canadian airports:
-Montréal-Trudeau International Airport
-Toronto Pearson International Airport
-Calgary International Airport
-Vancouver International Airport
-Halifax Stanfield International Airport
-Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport
-Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport
-Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport
-Edmonton International Airport

Get Tested 
“All travellers, regardless of vaccination status, will still require a pre-entry COVID-19 molecular test result. However effective August 9, 2021, the Government of Canada is adjusting its post-arrival testing strategy for fully vaccinated travellers. Using a new border testing surveillance program at airports and land border crossings, fully vaccinated travellers will not need a post-arrival test unless they have been randomly selected to complete a Day 1 COVID-19 molecular test. There are no changes to the mandatory testing requirements for unvaccinated travellers.”

Good To Know
In addition to receiving a full series of a vaccine authorized by the Government of Canada, fully vaccinated travellers must also:

-Provide COVID-19-related information electronically through ArriveCAN (app or web portal) including proof of vaccination prior to arrival in Canada;
-Meet the pre-entry testing requirements; be asymptomatic upon arrival;
-Have a paper or digital copy of their vaccination documentation in English or French (or certified translation) ready to show a government official on request as evidence.

Unvaccinated Children
I could not find the official rule on Canada’s website regarding minors but according to The Washington Post: “Children under 12 who are not yet eligible to receive an authorized coronavirus vaccine and are traveling with fully vaccinated parents will be exempt from the quarantine requirements, but officials said that they should avoid group settings such as camps or day-care facilities during the first 14 days after their arrival. They will also be required to take a coronavirus test on the first and eighth days after entering Canada.”

Don’t Lie
“A person who submits false information on vaccination status could be liable to a fine of up to $750,000 or six months imprisonment or both, under the Quarantine Act, or prosecution under the Criminal Code for forgery.”

More Information
COVID-19: Travel, testing, quarantine and borders – Travel.gc.ca

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According to multiple reports, including this one from the WSJ, late last night, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “told the premiers that Canadian and U.S. officials are in talks about reopening their 5,500-mile land border to tourists and that Canada could be in a position to start allowing fully vaccinated U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents into Canada as of mid-August for nonessential travel, according to the statement.”

And according to Jenn Schanz, a news anchor on Detroit’s WXYZ (ABC News affiliate), “Fully vaccinated travelers from other countries could cross the border by early September.”

All of this tracks; Justin Trudeau has been saying that once Canada reaches the 80% vaccination rate, the border would open and yesterday afternoon, his office tweeted, “Almost 80% of eligible Canadians have now received their first dose of a #CovidVaccine. Today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited a vaccination site in Montréal, Quebec. Learn more about how to get vaccinated near you: https://t.co/tFSsEDZ1ds”

There are obviously a lot of questions that still need to be answered like: What’s the official date of reopening? Can children of vaccinated parents enter Canada without quarantine? Will Canada still require COVID-19 tests? Will there be long immigration lines?

It will all be very interesting to follow. Let’s hope that the Delta variant that’s wreaking havoc around the world doesn’t throw a wrench into this plan. If it doesn’t, expect U.S. and Canadian airlines to ramp up service to meet demand.

This is, of course, great news on so many levels but especially for families like mine that have Canadian roots. My wife was born and raised in Canada and had never been away from her homeland for more than a few months until she gave birth to our son in Los Angeles. The photo above was taken in 2017 just after landing at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport after her longest time away from her beloved country and she was grinning ear to ear. I can’t imagine what it would be like for her and so many other Canucks since the border has not only been closed for 17 months but families have been separated. Natalie’s loved ones all came to L.A. while she was pregnant so she got together with most of her family and friends then but Christmas will mark two years since she’s seen them.

If you thought the arrival scene at London’s Heathrow was emotional in the movie Love Actually, then hang out in a Canadian airport on August 9 and bring a box of tissues.