Last week, the federal government announced that it would ease border measures for travellers entering the country.
Alongside the continued rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, more and more Canadians are itching to travel after a year of being confined to their homes.
Marty Firestone, the president of Travel Secure, recently joined The Morning Show to discuss Canada’s updated travel restrictions and things to keep in mind for people planning their next getaway.
Beginning on July 5, fully vaccinated travellers aren’t required to quarantine and stay at a government-authorized hotel, nor do they need to present a negative COVID-19 test eight days after arrival.
Travellers will still have to take a COVID-19 test before and upon entering Canada and will now have to provide proof of vaccination.
Many parents have expressed frustration regarding the lifted restrictions, considering unvaccinated children will still have to quarantine for 14 days at home.
“(It’s) definitely going to put a damper on people deciding if they’re going to get away for at least the summer,” Firestone says.
As many people are still hesitant to book a trip amid the ongoing pandemic, flight prices remain low with generous cancellation policies and COVID-19 insurance.
“People can take advantage of these flights — I think just to sun spots or South (but) nothing international at this point,” says Firestone, adding that once travel restrictions are lifted, we can expect prices to increase.
Canada continues to maintain a Level 3 travel health notice, meaning people should still be avoiding all non-essential travel.
Firestone says trip cancellation insurance will not cover you in the event of another wave of COVID-19 and you should be wary if you are booking a trip because you might be at risk of losing your money.
“So we need the advisory lifted, borders open and then I think you can start booking trips and travelling and looking forward to next year,” he says.
The Canada-U.S. border is currently set to reopen for non-essential travel starting July 21.
Firestone doesn’t think the advisory will be extended.
“Travel will once again start, the economy will boom and we will be back to what we will call ‘the new normal,’” he says.
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For more information on Canada’s current travel restrictions and what to expect when booking a trip, watch the full video above.