New travel rules are a welcome change for those abroad
It has been a long time coming for Canadians and permanent residents wishing to travel outside of the country.
Karam Ramotar lives in Ottawa, but often travels to Guyana to visit family.
“I think the idea of quarantining for three days in a hotel was serving absolutely no useful purpose,” says Ramotar.
As of July 5, those Canadians who are out of the country and fully vaccinated, like Ramotar, can return to Canada with eased restrictions.
They will no longer have to self-isolate for 14 days or stay in a quarantine hotel upon arrival.
Ramotar says the new rules will save him, and all fully vaccinated travellers, time and money.
“Taking away the quarantine is a good thing,” says Ramotar. “It makes life a lot easier for travellers coming in. They get tested at the airport and they're good to go.”
Canadians will need to provide proof of vaccination with an app called ArriveCAN, and have a digital or paper copy of their vaccination forms.
They’ll also have to take a COVID-19 test before leaving the country, and when coming back home.
Elaine Simpson is a travel agent with Algonquin Travel Gloucester. She says phones are already starting to ring off the hook. According to search data from Expedia, following Monday’s announcement, they saw an 80 per cent increase in international hotel searches week over week.
“I think this is the carrot that has been dangled for us and this is our get out of jail free card now,” says Simpson. “The last six months have certainly picked up because I think people realized that demand is going to exceed supply.”
Kathleen Logan just recently made plans to visit her daughter in the UK, who just had her first baby. She was previously putting off the trip because of the hotel quarantine.
“It’s been really hard for her to have this wonderful joyous occasion, and not be able to celebrate it in person,” says Logan.
Logan has been fully vaccinated for weeks, and being able to travel with fewer restrictions is welcome news.
“We’re really excited about this,” says Logan. “This is a long time coming. We’ve had to cancel other travel plans, that's okay, but this one, seeing my granddaughter for the first time, that’s special.”
For those on the fence about the vaccine, Simpson says this could be what finally changes their mind.
“If anything, I think that will entice anybody who may be hesitating, that could give that little added push to get that double vaccination, if they want to travel.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Oh my God, you're my brother': Man in his 70s discovers 6 unknown siblings
After receiving a DNA kit one Christmas from his son-in-law, Hugh McCormick soon discovered that he had six unknown siblings, with whom he shared the same birth parents.
No refund for travellers who cancelled flight already scrapped by airline: regulator
Four years on, the controversy over whether airlines owed refunds to passengers after cancelling hundreds of thousands of flights during the pandemic continues to simmer, aggravated by a sluggish, opaque complaints process.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Rates of cancer declining in Canada, but more work needed to save lives: projections
A new study projecting declining rates of cancer cases and deaths in Canada demonstrates the success of prevention and early detection programs, but also highlights areas where more work is needed to save and prolong lives, researchers say.
Canucks hold off Oilers for 4-3 win in Game 3
Brock Boeser had two goals and an assist, and the Vancouver Canucks hung on for a 4-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise's disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.