Canada will accept vaccinated U.S. tourists after a 16-month ban Reuters

Authors: David Ljunggren and Steve Scherer

Ottawa (Reuters)-Canada said on Monday that it will allow fully vaccinated U.S. tourists to enter the country for non-essential travel from August 9, relaxing a 16-month ban that has been weakened by corporate complaints Up them.

Starting September 7, vaccinated tourists from countries outside the United States will be allowed to enter. Officials say that the relaxation depends on whether the COVID-19 epidemiology in Canada remains favorable.

“As the vaccination rate increases and the number of cases decreases

Canada, we can start to relax border measures safely,” Health Minister Patty Hajdu told reporters.

Businesses in both countries, especially the tourism and aviation industries, demand that the restrictions on non-essential travel between Canada and the United States that were implemented in March 2020 be terminated.

Gordy Hyde, chairman of the Canadian Business Council, said: “This is good for our economy… We welcome this direction and look forward to successful implementation.”

So far, the U.S. and Canada are extending restrictions every month.

Canadian Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said that US officials told him that Washington is likely to extend the US ban by one month when it expires on July 22.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki declined to say whether the United States will follow Canada’s approach.

When asked about Canada’s move, she said at a briefing: “We will continue to review our travel decisions, and we will be under the guidance of our public health and medical experts… I will not come through reciprocal intentions. Look at it.”

People who are eligible to enter Canada must be vaccinated at least 14 days in advance. From August 9th, Ottawa has also cancelled the requirement that all passengers arriving by plane must stay in a hotel for three nights.

The government reiterated that Canadians should avoid unnecessary travel abroad.

This news should be a boost to Canada’s hard-hit airlines, which are recovering from the pandemic slower than their American counterparts.

Due to the overall decline, the share price of Canada’s largest airline Air Canada fell 3% in Toronto on Monday.

WestJet, Canada’s second-largest airline, said its capacity utilization rate in July was 60% compared to the level before the 2019 pandemic.