Canada has started to ease travel restrictions for its citizens, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday that unvaccinated foreign travelers will not be allowed to return home until
"a good time."
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"I can tell you now that it won't be in effect for a while,"
Justin Trudeau replied to a question from the press.
“We must continue to ensure the safety of Canadians and that the sacrifices of so many people in the past few months have not been made for nothing,”
he said. Without providing details, the Prime Minister said changes to the rules would be presented
"in the coming weeks"
regarding the entry into the country of fully vaccinated tourists.
Pressure is mounting on the Canadian government, especially from the tourism industry, to relax border rules between Canada and the United States, which share the longest border in the world. The latter has been closed to non-essential travel since March 2020. Justin Trudeau said his administration was unwilling to jeopardize Canada's progress in containing the coronavirus as the number of daily reported cases plummet and vaccination rates rise.
This week, his government lifted the hotel quarantine requirement for Canadians and permanent residents returning from abroad who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19. The closure of the Canada-U.S. Border, renewed monthly by mutual agreement between Ottawa and Washington, is in place until at least July 21.
