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Canada to require vaccinations for travelers 12 years old and over

Oct 7, 2021

2 MIN READ

A White Pass & Yukon Route Railway train en route to Skagway, Alaska. Justin Foulkes for Lonely Planet

Alexander Howard

Writer

Nashville, Tennesse

Alexander Howard is Editorial Director at Lonely Planet, where he oversees the creation of travel content across guidebooks and digital platforms. Since joining Lonely Planet in 2014 as a destination editor covering the Western US and Canada, Alex has held various editorial leadership roles, including managing editor of Lonely Planet's US magazine. During his tenure, Alex has championed the integration of local voices into Lonely Planet's content, working with writers and experts from around th…

On Wednesday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that all rail, cruise and air passengers over the age of 12 and staff would be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

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The requirement will go into effect on October 30. Trudeau also said there would be a brief grace period where unvaccinated travelers will be able to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of travel.

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The requirement coincides with a vaccine mandate for all federal employees, according to Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland.

"These travel measures, along with mandatory vaccination for federal employees, are some of the strongest in the world, " Trudeau added.

Air travelers entering Canada are currently required to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within the last 72 hours. Unvaccinated travelers must take a COVID-19 test upon arrival in Canada, quarantine for 14 days, and then take another test.

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Steep fines for noncompliance

Travelers caught circumventing the rules through false information like faked vaccination cards will face heavy fines. Air passengers face up to $5000 per violation. Cruise passengers can face up to $250,000 per day for violating the rules.

Canada's vaccine passport

Canada intends to implement a vaccine passport that travelers will be able to use to show proof of vaccination for non-Canadians. Similar vaccine passports are already in place for residents of British Columbia and Ontario. The government says the pan-Canadian passport will be in a digital format, and it will make showing proof of vaccination "easy and quick" for travelers.

You might also like:

Visiting France with family? Children over the age of 12 must now have a health pass
What to know about trips to Hawaii as COVID-19 emergency order is extended through November
Travelers eligible to visit New Zealand will need to be vaccinated from November

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