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
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'