Updated Canada/US Border Rules Announced 19 July 2021

[mshanson3121]

Does this REALLY surprise you They will ALWAYS push for what is in THEIR best interest...even though their numbers are rising in those who don't want to get the vaccine. And if my researching is correct...only 49 % of the US is fully vaccinated. It's sad really

All we can do is thank god that more Canadians have decided to get the vaccine vs not. So hopefully the death toll from the new variants will be show other countries that the vaccine actually works.

Well you know they need to protect themselves from us, mainly vaccinated, Canadians. And yes I’m being sarcastic.

This doesn’t surprise me. Every decision they make is 100% political and has nothing to do with science.

Haha, no, you're both right, I shouldn't be surprised. Though admittedly, I was a bit. The way their border towns are hurting and they're crying for us Canadian tourists, I really did think they'd open to us. But I agree, I think this was a politically based move, probably trying to assert their dominance.

 

[yesmylove]

I kind of read it as they are still concerned about their cases going up again and that because of that it is better to keep the US border closed to protect both sides. I was surprised that our government was opening the border with US cases on the rise again.
I have a trip also on the fence but don't want to go if their cases are rising nor do l want the hassle or expense of covid tests on either side.

 

[dvcdisney]

Travel via air has not been restricted to essential travel. People from Canada have been flying down to the US for leisure throughout much of the pandemic. The government has been discouraging it, and there have been a lot of restrictions in place previously to make it undesireable/more difficult, but it hasn't been outright banned.

It's only the land border that has been shut to non-essential crossing into the US (and will continue to remain shut untial at least Aug 21 per today's update from the US).

That's the reason why they didn't remove the pre-entry test for vaccinated people...they loosened the arrival testing (random) which, of course, I would have been fine with if needed. But the "discouragement" worked on my family...we won't be travelling until the pre-entry test is removed...I guess I may be cancelling our Dec trip.

 

[cdnSpinalTap]

That's the reason why they didn't remove the pre-entry test for vaccinated people...they loosened the arrival testing (random) which, of course, I would have been fine with if needed. But the "discouragement" worked on my family...we won't be travelling until the pre-entry test is removed...I guess I may be cancelling our Dec trip.

Just curious - so the reason you won't be going is due to the pre-entry negative COVID test requirement?

 

[quandrea]

Just curious - so the reason you won't be going is due to the pre-entry negative COVID test requirement?

Not the poster you quoted, but the reason we aren’t travelling is due to the pre entry negative Covid test requirement. A positive test would effectively trap us in Florida. Very expensive, a logistical nightmare and not something we can chance with Dh’s work.

 

[dvcdisney]

Just curious - so the reason you won't be going is due to the pre-entry negative COVID test requirement?

Yes. I'm not upset that it's required. I'm just not spending my vacation looking for a testing location prior to boarding. And I'll be worried about possibly testing positive even being fully vaccinated and showing no symptoms (we're all fully vaccinated with no kids under 12). I don't want to have to stay in the US after my trip should have ended. So, I'll wait until this is no longer required.

If not for Dec, I have a few trips planned for next year.

I'm sure others are fine going, but I'm overly cautious and it's not worth putting my family through the stress.

 

[scrappinginontario]

why are you delaying? Were you planning on driving?

No, not driving but we were flying out of Buffalo. Looked at flying out of Toronto but it's another $1,200+ for the 2 of us which is a lot of money.

I was told when I contracted it and asked the same question...90- 120+ days. Which is CRAZY!!!! They told me to keep all notifications on my phone about my positive test result - so I could prove it was from a previous infection.

I just looked and don't have a picture of our positive results. I keep EVERYTHING but I think with all that was happening at the time I didn't think to take a picture of our positive results and now they've been removed from the website. IF we decide to hold onto our trip and possibly go if things open up in August, I'm not sure what I'll do. I guess I'll start looking to see if there's a way to get a copy of previous positive results.

UPDATE: I just called my family doctor as I knew she received a copy of our positive test results and thankfully they were able to print off a copy and are mailing it to me. Phew! A bright light on a tough day!

Wanted to post this here in case it helps anyone else.

 

[Gigi22]

Am I the only person who is wondering if the possible late August opening, so close to the start of school, is set to preclude significant numbers of (unvaccinated) children under 12 from entering the US?

 

[hdrolfe]

Am I the only person who is wondering if the possible late August opening, so close to the start of school, is set to preclude significant numbers of (unvaccinated) children under 12 from entering the US?

I believe most US schools go back quite a bit earlier than the ones in Canada so I'm not sure that would be the issue but you never know.

 

[dvcdisney]

Am I the only person who is wondering if the possible late August opening, so close to the start of school, is set to preclude significant numbers of (unvaccinated) children under 12 from entering the US?

I'm not sure that's an issue for the US. I would think it would be us who should be nervous about anyone unvaccinated, not just those under 12.

 

[wdwmom3]

Am I the only person who is wondering if the possible late August opening, so close to the start of school, is set to preclude significant numbers of (unvaccinated) children under 12 from entering the US?

No I don’t think this is even a concern. It’s all for show. Remember they are allowing people to fly there.

 

[Sue M]

Haha, no, you're both right, I shouldn't be surprised. Though admittedly, I was a bit. The way their border towns are hurting and they're crying for us Canadian tourists, I really did think they'd open to us. But I agree, I think this was a politically based move, probably trying to assert their dominance.

I don’t think even if US opened border it would help the border towns economy. Not many will pay over $100 for a test just to do a day trip shopping. I live near US border and sure miss going to Bellingham Trader Joes and Costco. But not going to pay $100+ to go. We may only need 1 test done in Canada for a day trip but it can’t be the cheaper Antigen test as we don’t accept it.

 

[mshanson3121]

I don’t think even if US opened border it would help the border towns economy. Not many will pay over $100 for a test just to do a day trip shopping. I live near US border and sure miss going to Bellingham Trader Joes and Costco. But not going to pay $100+ to go. We may only need 1 test done in Canada for a day trip but it can’t be the cheaper Antigen test as we don’t accept it.

Very true. I wonder how long before the test requirements will be dropped. To me, day trippers should not be required to be tested - but how would you know who's a day trippers vs. a traveler?

 

[scrappinginontario]

The part that is confusing to me is that it says those going across for a day/few hours can be tested before they leave and use that result to return to Canada.

How does that prove they didn't pick something up while away? I understand that a test that is 72 hours old has 72 hours of opportunities to pick something up but it seems silly to be tested, cross, come back showing test from before you left.

Am I missing something that makes this beneficial?

 

[ellbell]

[/QUOTE]

The part that is confusing to me is that it says those going across for a day/few hours can be tested before they leave and use that result to return to Canada.

How does that prove they didn't pick something up while away? I understand that a test that is 72 hours old has 72 hours of opportunities to pick something up but it seems silly to be tested, cross, come back showing test from before you left.

Am I missing something that makes this beneficial?

Nope, it's just another deterrent. In reality though the day trips are literally the same as going to the grocery store and shouldn't require a test.

 

[pinkle]

The Trudeau government just announced updated border rules for the Canada/US travel.

International Travelers
On September 7, travelers from any country will be allowed to enter Canada, however, they must be fully vaccinated (with a Canadian approved vaccine) at least 14 days before entering Canada.

U.S. Travelers
On August 9, U.S. citizens and permanent residents will be allowed to enter Canada for non-essential purposes (e.g. travel). They also must be fully vaccinated at least 14 days before entering the country (with a Canadian approved vaccine). They must be arriving from the United States. Fully vaccinated U.S. travelers will not be required to quarantine for 14 days UNLESS they test positive at the airport due to random testing that will be done. In this case, they must have a 14-day quarantine plan in place. They must provide proof of a negative Covid test taken with 72 hours of entry and must use the ArriveCan test.

They noted that the U.S. has not made a reciprocal announcement at this time. Hopefully this will come soon.

Starting August 9, Canada will switch to a random testing protocol at the airport upon entering Canada. They said this will help them to focus on unvaccinated individuals.

They also said 14-day quarantines will still apply, along with day 1 and day 8 testing.

Ugh. So disappointed. I’m surprised it wasn’t the US opening up to Canada first when you look at the numbers

 

[BlancheNeige7]

The part that is confusing to me is that it says those going across for a day/few hours can be tested before they leave and use that result to return to Canada.

How does that prove they didn't pick something up while away? I understand that a test that is 72 hours old has 72 hours of opportunities to pick something up but it seems silly to be tested, cross, come back showing test from before you left.

Am I missing something that makes this beneficial?

Apart from being a deterrent, I fail to see its usefulness. Add to that the fact that it usually takes about 4-5 days after exposure before a positive test... it is a bit confusing!

 

[Starwind]

The part that is confusing to me is that it says those going across for a day/few hours can be tested before they leave and use that result to return to Canada.

How does that prove they didn't pick something up while away? I understand that a test that is 72 hours old has 72 hours of opportunities to pick something up but it seems silly to be tested, cross, come back showing test from before you left.

Am I missing something that makes this beneficial?

If a person is taking a day trip to the US and gets infected that day, a test taken that same day after they are infected will not come back positive as there is not enough viral load yet - the person is still in the incubation period. It takes a number of days to have enough viral load to get a positive test result. Here in Ottawa, for example, public health officials don't recommend getting tested after a known exposure until 5-7 days after because if one tests "too early" the test is highly likely to come back negative even if one is actually infected. According to the Government of Canada: "The incubation period ranges from 1 to 14 days. The median is 5 to 6 days between exposure and symptom onset. Most people (97.5%) develop symptoms within 11.5 days of exposure."

If flying to the US, one is required to have a negative test done before travel to enter the US. They do not require a test for land border entry. So some travelers would have the pre-test because they needed it for entry to the US.

For others, the logistics of testing in the US for a land crossing daytrip of a few hours also don't make sense. For example: pre-covid my typical day trip to the US lasted 1-2 hours, sometimes less, of time stateside. The nearest US location I can get a rapid covid test acceptable for Canadian entry is about a 30 minute drive from where I normally go, so that is an extra hour in the US. That test location is a Walgreens and it can take upto 24 hours to get results. So that could be an additional DAY I would have to stay in the US just for the purposes of a test. That would incur meals, possibly an overnight hotel stay, plus finding a low risk way to pass the time. Bottom line: a lot more time in the US and more contact with more people. Just because of the test and its logistics. Versus being able to use a Canadian pre-travel test, where once in the US I have contact with a small number of people (as few as two plus border guards) and can limit my time stateside to under an hour. Which makes more sense and is safer ?

You are right that there then would be no way of knowing if they did manage to pick up something in the small window they were outside the country. It would be a matter of monitor yourself for symptoms and if you get any go get tested.

SW

 

[scrappinginontario]

If a person is taking a day trip to the US and gets infected that day, a test taken that same day after they are infected will not come back positive as there is not enough viral load yet - the person is still in the incubation period. It takes a number of days to have enough viral load to get a positive test result. Here in Ottawa, for example, public health officials don't recommend getting tested after a known exposure until 5-7 days after because if one tests "too early" the test is highly likely to come back negative even if one is actually infected. According to the Government of Canada: "The incubation period ranges from 1 to 14 days. The median is 5 to 6 days between exposure and symptom onset. Most people (97.5%) develop symptoms within 11.5 days of exposure."

If flying to the US, one is required to have a negative test done before travel to enter the US. They do not require a test for land border entry. So some travelers would have the pre-test because they needed it for entry to the US.

For others, the logistics of testing in the US for a land crossing daytrip of a few hours also don't make sense. For example: pre-covid my typical day trip to the US lasted 1-2 hours, sometimes less, of time stateside. The nearest US location I can get a rapid covid test acceptable for Canadian entry is about a 30 minute drive from where I normally go, so that is an extra hour in the US. That test location is a Walgreens and it can take upto 24 hours to get results. So that could be an additional DAY I would have to stay in the US just for the purposes of a test. That would incur meals, possibly an overnight hotel stay, plus finding a low risk way to pass the time. Bottom line: a lot more time in the US and more contact with more people. Just because of the test and its logistics. Versus being able to use a Canadian pre-travel test, where once in the US I have contact with a small number of people (as few as two plus border guards) and can limit my time stateside to under an hour. Which makes more sense and is safer ?

You are right that there then would be no way of knowing if they did manage to pick up something in the small window they were outside the country. It would be a matter of monitor yourself for symptoms and if you get any go get tested.

SW

I’ve had Covid. I understand what you’ve said as do I believe most of us here as it’s been taught to us over and over for the past 16 months. We understand exposure, incubation period, etc.

Where you and I differ and probably many others too is the number of people you come in contact with in the US. If I’m crossing to the states for a day i’m going to be near a lot of people. For us to cross right now it would be go shopping. Just being honest. Some may cross to visit family or go to an appointment but that is not us. Other than Disney, which is not a day trip for Canadians, I’d like to cross for a day and go to the stores I enjoy to buy things that are challenging to purchase in Canada. Lol, I just want variety and I’d like to go to Target!

This is why I asked my question in the first place re: testing before we go and how that could possibly be an honest reflection of my health status when I cross back into Canada. I appreciate those who shared that it’s just a deterrent to decrease the number of people who cross for a day or two once the US border reopens. That was my thought too but I wanted to ask others in case I’d missed something.

 

[wdwmom3]

The part that is confusing to me is that it says those going across for a day/few hours can be tested before they leave and use that result to return to Canada.

How does that prove they didn't pick something up while away? I understand that a test that is 72 hours old has 72 hours of opportunities to pick something up but it seems silly to be tested, cross, come back showing test from before you left.

Am I missing something that makes this beneficial?

No you aren’t missing anything. There is zero point to the test. Makes no sense for them to require a test that you took before you left the country.