All Canadian travelers, even those shopping in Whatcom, once again will need a COVID test
Beginning Tuesday, Dec. 21, Canada will once again require all travelers to get a COVID-19 molecular test before returning to Canada. This includes Canadians taking short trips across the border into the U.S., such as those going shopping in Whatcom County.
The move was announced by the Canadian government Friday, Dec. 17, in the hopes it can slow the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant, according to a story by CTV News.
“As of Dec. 21, the requirement for pre-arrival testing will be in place again for trips of all duration,” Canadian Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said, according to a CBC story.
Duclos said the move would add “an additional layer” of protection for travelers and those that might be exposed to them, according to the CTV News story.
Friday’s announcement rolls back an exemption that was granted to Canadians making quick, non-essential trips to the U.S. that were shorter than 72 hours. That exemption has been in effect since Nov. 30.
The move likely will be difficult to hear for Whatcom County businesses just now beginning to feel the effects of an reopened border between the two countries.
The two countries agreed in March of 2020 to close their mutual border to all travel deemed non-essential, such shopping, tourism or visiting family or friends, in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19 during early stages of the pandemic. Originally set to last one month, that border closure was extended on a month-by-month basis.
Canada was the first to begin allowing vaccinated travelers to cross the border on Aug. 9, though it required a PCR test to do so.
On Nov. 8, the U.S. followed suit and began allowing vaccinated Canadians to cross the border, but it wasn’t until Nov. 30 that Canada dropped its requirement of a negative test result within 72 hours of arriving at a port of entry.
While the testing requirement was in effect, Canadians reported the logistics and high price of getting tested for short trips as a deterrent from making short trips to the U.S.
And now, three weeks later, it appears that requirement for Canadian travelers to be tested is going back in place on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Canadian Prime Minister Justing Trudeau urged Canadian travelers to avoid international travel due to the spread of the Omicron variant, according to a CTV News story.
“To those who were planning to travel, I say very clearly — now is not the time to travel. The rapid spread of the Omicron variant on a global scale makes us fear the worst,” Duclos said, according to a CBC story.
On Thursday, Canadian provinces and territories reported 7,145 new COVID-19 cases — the country’s highest case count since it was in the third wave in May, according to CTV News. Of those cases, 753 were in British Columbia.
This story was originally published December 17, 2021 at 11:04 AM.
