All travelers should conduct Covid-19 testing at Canada airports

Canada is obliging all arriving travelers to conduct Covid-19 testing upon arrival at the airports. Thus far, travelers entering Canada were required to submit a certificate of negativity to Covid-19 issued within 72 hours from the time of their boarding at departure, but the Canadian health authority is further beefing up quarantine.

Arrivals are also obliged to pay for the test and hotel where they say until test results come out. Canada has also decided to oblige all people entering the country via inland to submit a certificate of negativity to Covid-19.

Hosting a press conference at his residence in Ottawa on Friday, Canadian Prime minister Justin Trudeau said, “We have decided to beef up quarantine to prevent introduction of variants,” as he announced the measure to oblige all arrivals to take Covid-19 test. According to the BBC and other outlets, the measure will most likely take effect within several weeks. Arriving air passengers should take the test upon arrival at the airport and stay at a hotel designated by the government for three days. The traveler should pay the testing fee and hotel fee, which will amount to an estimated 2,000 Canadian dollars in total.

Canada has banned its national carriers from flying to and from Mexico and the Caribbean region from Saturday through April. Mexico and the Caribbean are designations where lots of Canadians travel during the winter vacation season. Prime Minister Trudeau said that current Covid-19 situations in Canada and elsewhere are so grave that people should avoid taking flight.


Min Kim kimmin@donga.com