COVID 19 – New Federal Travel Restrictions & Quarantine Measures Impacting Student Travel
The Government of Canada announced announced on January 29 that the new travel restrictions and quarantine measures will take place in the coming days and weeks. Additional details and clarifications on the impact on international students and the implementation dates are going to be announced soon.
The information in this blog is meant to be a guide only. Students and their parents are responsible for ensuring that they meet the travel and quarantine requirements at the time of their arrival in Canada.
The following measures will be implemented in the coming days and weeks:
- All flights between Canada and Mexico and the Caribbean are suspended from January 31st to April 30th, Students with pre-arranged travel plans should contact their airline for additional guidance and support.
- Effective 11:59 pm EST on February 3, 2021, all international flights will land at one of the following four airports:
- Montréal-Trudeau International Airport,
- Toronto Pearson International Airport,
- Calgary International Airport,
- Vancouver International Airport
- Anyone traveling to Canada must undergo mandatory COVID-19 PCR testing immediately following the arrival at their own expense. Please also note that this requirement is in addition to mandatory COVID-19 PCR testing required prior to boarding the plane departing to Canada.
- Travelers must quarantine for a minimum of 3 nights in a hotel approved by the government of Canada at their own expense while they wait for COVID-19 PCR test results. Students will need to budget approximately CAD$2000 for this stay; however, the cost may go up if the duration of the stay will be longer. The government of Canada’s web page will outline how to reserve the room and exact costs.
- Travelers with negative test results will be required to complete the remaining mandatory 14-day quarantine period at the location identified in their quarantine plan
- Travelers with positive test results will remain at a designated government quarantine facility; the process and the costs are not clear at this time.
International travelers arriving at land borders will be required to show evidence of a negative COVID-19 PCR test.
At this time, details on how these measures will be implemented remain unclear and are subject to further clarification only in the coming days or weeks.
These new measures identified by the Federal and Provincial governments are in addition to the current measures already in place to help slow the spread of COVID-19 – including the mandatory negative COVID-19 PCR test result required to be completed before boarding your flight to Canada, and the mandatory 14-day quarantine requirement.