Canada lifts pre-departure COVID test requirement for travellers from China, Hong Kong and Macao

Background

Starting Friday, air travellers arriving in Canada from China, Hong Kong or Macao will no longer have to provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 test taken before their departure. The federal government introduced the temporary measure in January in reaction to a surge in the virus in China and the limited availability of epidemiological and other data. Other countries, including the U.S., implemented similar measures.

Canada lifts border measures

A statement released by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) said Canada will no longer have any COVID border measures in place once the testing requirement is lifted. PHAC said that no new variants of concern have been detected in Canada or internationally since the spike in cases in China began late last year.

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Conclusion

This decision by the Canadian government comes amid decreasing COVID-19 case numbers and the progress of vaccination campaigns in the country. However, it is still important to remain vigilant and follow public health guidelines as the pandemic continues.

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Credit: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-lifting-covid-screening-measures-travellers-china-1.6781183

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