Question Period Note: BORDER MEASURES

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has put successive border measures in place, in response to COVID-19, under the Quarantine Act.

Key Messages
• Canada’s border measures have been central to our pandemic response.
• Border measures are based on available data, scientific evidence and monitoring of the epidemiological situation both in Canada and internationally.
• Following the designation by the World Health Organization of the Omicron Variant of Concern on November 26, the Government of Canada announced enhanced border measures for all travellers who have been in the Southern Africa region, including South Africa, Eswatini, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Namibia. On November 30, the Government added Nigeria, Malawi, and Egypt to this list.
o Foreign nationals who have travelled in any of these countries within the previous 14 days will not be permitted entry into Canada until January 31, 2022.
o Canadian citizens, permanent residents and people with status under the Indian Act, regardless of their vaccination status who have been in these countries in the previous 14 days will be subject to enhanced testing, screening, and quarantine measures.
o Additionally, as of December 7, more fully vaccinated travellers arriving by air from departure points other than the United States will be selected for arrival testing. Fully vaccinated travellers will be required to quarantine while they await the results of their arrival test.
o If not selected for on-arrival testing, for the 14 days following their entry to Canada, such travellers will be required to monitor their health, wear a mask when in public, and maintain a list of the locations they visit and details on close contacts.
o Unvaccinated travellers, with right of entry to Canada, will continue to be tested on arrival and day 8 and must quarantine for 14 days. However, those arriving by air will now be required to stay in a designated quarantine facility or other suitable location while they await the result of their on arrival test.
• These new border measures are being implemented while the Canadian and global medical, public health and research communities actively evaluate this variant – as has been done with previous variants – to better understand the potential implications in terms of transmission, clinical presentation and vaccine efficacy. They will continue to be evaluated and are subject to adjustment as required.
• While these are precautionary measures that will be in place until January 31, 2022 as we continue to assess the situation, the Government will not hesitate to take additional measures as necessary and if Canadians are planning to travel they need to understand that the situation is fluid and border processing time especially in air, will be significantly increased.
• The Government of Canada recognizes that these new measures can pose challenges for individuals and families. But these measures are in place to slow down further importation of the Omicron variant into Canada.
• As the monitoring and testing continues with provinces and territories, it is expected that other cases of this variant will be found in Canada.
• I know that this new variant may seem concerning, but I want to remind Canadians that vaccination, in combination with public health and individual protective measures, is working to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and its variants in our communities.
If pressed – Border Measures More Broadly
• As Canada hit key milestones in its domestic vaccination campaign and other epidemiological indicators remained stable, Canada began a phased approach to its border reopening.
• As of November 30, 2021, we have expanded the list of accepted vaccines for the purposes of entry into Canada to add the 3 additional vaccines currently listed on the World Health Organization’s Emergency Use Listing (namely, Sinovac, Sinopharm, and Covaxin).
• As well, as of November 30, 2021, fully vaccinated Canadian citizens, permanent residents and persons registered under the Indian Act, who take trips outside of the country for 72 hours or less, are no longer required to complete a molecular COVID-19 test before re-entering Canada. This change applies to trips by both land and air.
• It should be noted that while the pre-entry test requirement has been waived for these travellers, they are still required to provide their travel and vaccination information via ArriveCAN.
• As of January 15, 2022, we are further reducing the number of entry exemptions for those who are not fully vaccinated. Only a limited number of exceptions will remain and anyone who qualifies for an exemption will continue to be subject to entry requirements such as testing before and after entering, and quarantine.
• On October 21, 2021, the Government of Canada updated the global travel advisory for COVID-19 that had advised against all non-essential travel. The advice now emphasizes the importance of vaccination prior to travel and cautions unvaccinated or partially vaccinated travellers to avoid non-essential travel to all destinations.
o Canadians who wish to travel should be fully vaccinated and stay informed of COVID-19 activity at their destination, which can vary significantly and change quickly from one country to another and within regions of the country. Canadians should always check entry requirements for their destination and follow any additional local public health measures while travelling, including continuing to use personal protective measures, like wearing a mask, washing hands and maintaining physical distancing where possible.
o The Government of Canada has also revised its travel health guidance to advise that because Omicron has been detected in several countries, Canadians should exercise extra caution and be sure to check for information on the presence of this new variant at their destination, as it could impact their ability to return to Canada.
• The Government of Canada will continue to use the latest data and scientific evidence to guide decisions on border measures and travel advice and continue to work with provincial and territorial colleagues, Indigenous partners, and international counterparts to take these next steps together.
• The Government of Canada continues to monitor the global situation to inform adjustments to border measures. Our first and foremost priority remains the health and safety of all people in Canada.
If pressed – quarantine hotels/testing
• I am aware of the conditions in some of the quarantine hotels and have advised the Public Health Agency of Canada to ensure that standards are met by the service providers. The Agency is also working to increase its capacity in order to release travellers as close as possible to their negative test result being received.
• The Government of Canada has awarded three companies with contracts worth up to $631 million for COVID-19 border testing and other screening services. The three companies - Dynacare, Switch Health, and LifeLabs - will provide comprehensive testing services, available in both official languages, for international travellers entering Canada at airports and land border crossings.

Omicron
On November 26, 2021, the WHO confirmed a new variant of concern (VOC) and named it Omicron. The new Omicron (B.1.1.529) VOC has been reported to have a high number of concerning mutations. The potential risks of these mutations are that this VOC may be able to spread faster than previous variants (i.e. Delta), vaccines may have decreased effectiveness against this variant, immunity from past infections may be less protective against this variant, and that the variant may be less susceptive to current treatments.

At this time, there are not enough data to comment on any potential increased severity of the variant among those who have had confirmed infections. Public health officials recommended imposing targeted enhanced border measures on travellers arriving to Canada to slow the importation of the variant as more is learned.
As of December 8, at least 65 cases of the Omicron variant have been confirmed in Canada, with most believed to be connected to international travel (i.e. transmissions can be traced to a traveller).
In addition, the Omicron variant has now been detected in at least 19 U.S. states, including at least five cases with unknown connections to international travel.
In response, the U.S. has announced that all air travellers, regardless of nationality or vaccination status, will need to get a COVID test no later than 24 hours prior to their departure as an added degree of protection.
As monitoring continues, it is expected that other cases of this variant will be found in Canada and other countries. Canadians are reminded that vaccination, in combination with public health and individual protective measures, is working to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and its variants in our communities.
On November 26, the Government announced that foreign nationals who have travelled in South Africa, Eswatini, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Namibia within the previous 14 days will not be permitted entry into Canada. On November 30, the Government added Nigeria, Malawi, and Egypt to this list.
Canadian citizens, permanent residents and people with status under the Indian Act, regardless of their vaccination status or having had a previous history of testing positive for COVID-19, who have been in these countries in the previous 14 days will be subject to enhanced testing, screening, and quarantine measures. These individuals will be required to obtain, within 72 hours of departure, a valid negative COVID-19 molecular test in a third country before continuing their journey to Canada. Upon arrival to Canada, they will subject to immediate arrival testing. All travellers will also be required to complete a test on day 8 after arrival and quarantine for 14 days.
Moving forward, border testing surveillance will be adjusted based on the latest available evidence to further reduce the risk of importation of this variant. In the coming days, all fully vaccinated travellers arriving by air from departure points other than the United States will be subject to arrival testing. Fully vaccinated travellers will be required to quarantine while they await the results of their arrival test.
Unvaccinated travellers, with right of entry to Canada, will continue to be tested on arrival and day 8 and quarantine for 14 days. However, those arriving by air will now be required to stay in a designated quarantine facility or other suitable location while they await the result of their on arrival test.
These measures will be in place until January 31, 2022.
In addition, federal officials are contacting those travellers who have already entered Canada after visiting these countries within the past 14 days.Travellers are informed of their potential exposure and told they are required to be tested and quarantine for the remainder of the 14 days from the date of their entry to Canada. They must provide result of their test to the Minister of Health by calling 1-833-641-0343. If they receive a positive test result, they will need to complete a 10-day isolation at home.
The federal government is working very closely and coordinating with the provinces and territories with regards to testing of these recently arrived travellers as well as monitoring and ensuring compliance with these measures.
Fully vaccinated travellers
Aside from the exception above, Canada allows entry of travellers from any country for discretionary reasons if they have been fully vaccinated with Government of Canada-accepted vaccines at least 14 days prior to entering Canada, and if they also meet specific entry requirements.
Fully vaccinated travellers must:
• submit all required COVID-19 information electronically into the free ArriveCAN app prior to travelling to Canada;
• provide a negative molecular test result 72 hours before arrival or proof of a previous positive test result taken between 10 and 180 days before arrival;
• be asymptomatic upon arrival;
• have a paper or digital copy of their proof of vaccination in English or French (or certified translation);
• mask when in public spaces; and
• keep a list of contacts for the 14 days after their entry.

Fully vaccinated travellers will not have to quarantine upon arrival to Canada if they meet the criteria for entry; however, they must show proof of a suitable quarantine plan in case the border services officer determines that they do not meet the fully vaccinated exemption. Foreign nationals who are travelling for non-essential/discretionary purposes must meet Canada’s definition of fully vaccinated in the context of border and travel requirements in order to be eligible for entry. Travellers who are not considered fully vaccinated may be denied boarding or entry.

Testing
Fully vaccinated travellers are still required to have a negative pre-departure PCR test for trips that last longer than 72 hours, taken within 72 hours of the scheduled flight departure time or arrival time at the land border to Canada. They must also submit all required COVID-19 information electronically using ArriveCAN prior to their arrival to Canada.

Fully vaccinated travellers who re-enter Canada within 72 hours of leaving the country are exempt from providing a pre-entry molecular test result. This exemption is only for fully vaccinated persons for trips originating in Canada, who depart and re-enter by land or by air. This exemption extends to accompanying children under 12, and individuals with medical contraindications to vaccination.
A fully vaccinated person who enters Canada by land from the remote communities of Hyder, Alaska, Northwest Angle, Minnesota, Point Roberts, Washington or Campobello Island, New Brunswick will be exempt from molecular testing requirements. These communities are along the Canada-U.S. border. In order for travellers from these communities to reach destinations in the same country, they must cross into the other one. These communities have limited testing availability and capacity. Given their remote location and low volume of travellers, they are also a lower risk from a public health perspective.
Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated travellers
All partially or unvaccinated travellers must have a quarantine plan, and unless otherwise exempted, will be required to quarantine for 14 days. They must also have a pre-departure, on-arrival and post-arrival test completed.

All travellers will be allowed onward travel to their place of quarantine unless they are symptomatic, a close contact of a positive case and/or they do not have a suitable place of quarantine upon arrival. Travellers who do not have a suitable place to quarantine may be directed to a federal designated quarantine facility.

Entry exemptions for unvaccinated travellers
As of January 15, 2022, Canada will move towards a vaccination-based border control approach, increasing alignment with domestic policies on COVID-19 vaccination.
In response to increased access to vaccination, a prohibition on entry for all unvaccinated travellers will replace the current prohibitions on entry. At this time, numerous cohorts previously exempt from the entry prohibition will no longer be permitted to enter Canada if unvaccinated. This includes professional and amateur athletes, students over the age of 18, work permit holders (with few exceptions), crew of commercial air and land conveyances, and medical workers, among others.
Exemptions will remain in place for unvaccinated travellers exempted under national interest purposes, compassionate entry, and for foreign nationals less than 18 years of age entering with a fully vaccinated foreign national parent, step-parent, guardian or tutor, or to reunite with family members in Canada, or to attend a listed institution.
Those with a medical contraindication to a COVID-19 vaccination will also be permitted to enter. The Chief Public Health Officer (CPHO) will continue to have the authority to permit entry for essential service providers.

Travel Advisories
To reflect the success of vaccines in preventing severe outcomes from COVID-19 and to provide Canadians with more information for safe travel, on October 21, 2021, the Government of Canada removed the Level 3 COVID-19 travel health notice (THN) and updated the global travel advisory for COVID-19.
This was the first step in the transition towards a destination-based approach for travel health advice, which will see additional information on the COVID-19 activity level at a destination provided to Canadians on the Travel Advice and Advisories website. Information on the level of COVID-19 activity at a destination will be made available under the health tab and will provide additional guidance and information to Canadians to help them make informed decisions about travel, and to better understand their risks when travelling to a country with a high level of COVID-19 transmission.

In response to the identification of the Omicron variant, the Government of Canada has also revised its travel health guidance to advise that because Omicron has been detected in several countries, Canadians should exercise extra caution and be sure to check for information on the presence of this new variant at their destination, as it could impact their ability to return to Canada.
The advisory to avoid all cruise ship travel is currently under review.

Travel health advice is not binding on Canadians choosing to travel abroad, and some insurance companies have begun to offer COVID-19 coverage despite the advice in place.

Enforcement
Compliance with border measures is subject to monitoring, verification and enforcement. If travellers do not comply, they may be transferred to a quarantine facility, face fines and/or imprisonment. Maximum penalties for failing to comply with an order under the Quarantine Act (e.g. the Quarantine, Isolation and Other Obligations Order) include a fine of up to $750,000 or imprisonment for six months, or both.

Additionally, the Contraventions Act gives law enforcement partners (including RCMP, provincial and local police) the power to issue tickets, with fines of up to $5,000 for different offences, to people who do not comply with the Quarantine Act (this does not apply in Alberta, Saskatchewan and the territories as these jurisdictions have not signed on to the contraventions regime).

In addition to the Quarantine Act, individuals can also be subject to fines, under Transport Canada’s Aeronautics Act, for non-compliance in relation to mandatory requirements prior to boarding a flight to Canada.

Key Facts
• Between February 3, 2020 and November 29, 2021, the Governor in Council has made 71 Emergency Orders under the Quarantine Act to minimize the risk of exposure to COVID-19 in Canada, to reduce risks from other countries, to repatriate Canadians, and to strengthen measures at the border to reduce the impact of COVID-19 in Canada.