The tests will stop on Saturday and resume on July 1. Then they will be done outside the airports, i.e. in the clinic, at home etc. Vaccinated travelers no longer have to give the sample once they arrive on Canadian soil.
For those who have not been vaccinated, mandatory check-ups will be carried out at the airport until July 1 and beyond.
In doing so, the government aims to reduce waiting at airports without completely stopping mandatory random checks.
“The Government of Canada recognizes the impact of increased waiting hours on passengers at some Canadian airports,” Canadian Transport Minister Omar Alcabra said in a statement.
” We continue to work with airports, airlines, package handlers and other partners to implement solutions to reduce delays as summer approaches. ⁇
Since April, 865 screening officers across Canada have been employed by the Canadian Air Traffic Safety Authority (CATSA), Ottawa says. The presence of border service officers and student officers will be optimal.
According to the Trudeau government, only 3% of passengers at Toronto Pearson Airport and Vancouver International Airport experience delays of more than 30 minutes.
The Covit-19 was tested at Pearson Airport in Toronto on a return flight from India.
Photo: CBC / Evan Mitsui
Tests have been described as a “bureaucratic burden”
Critics, including many public health experts, have argued that some form of testing is unnecessary at this stage of the epidemic. This policy a Bureaucratic burden
Added to this Already long delays at airportsStruggling with overcrowded customs facilities.
The change in policy is presented as one Pause
Because the government has kept the door open to reintroduce action, if necessary, depending on the evolution of the epidemic.
With the arrival of summer there was strong pressure from the Canadian tourism industry for Ottawa to lift border health restrictions. Last week, several speakers gathered at a press conference and estimated that the country’s largest airports would increase passenger numbers by 50% during the holidays.
The Canadian Airports Council, for its part, has called for the withdrawal of random testing for COVID-19 at airports, a move that Ottawa has chosen to move instead. Among other demands, the committee wants to end the need for vaccination for security and customs staff.
Ottawa maintains an on-screen testing program as a way to track the number of COVID-19 cases imported into the country. Officials said the program could be used to detect new virus strains of concern.
Relief in the United States
In the United States, the Biden administration has decided Ends the need to provide a negative test for Covit-19 Must board a flight to the United States.
According to a source cited by the Associated Press, The CDC The action was considered unnecessary. Will be reassessed once every 90 days. Mandatory testing may be resumed if new variants of COVID-19 appear to be of concern.
Christian Noel, CBC News & Law Canadian Press
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