Hugh: Canada to Scrap Vaccine Mandate for Travelers

Today, the federal government announced more changes to travel regulations, specifically for people who are not fully vaccinated. The change, which will go into effect June 20th, will allow unvaccinated Canadians to board both domestic and international flights, as well as trains and busses leaving the country. There are no changes for travelers from other countries coming to Canada. Masks will continue to be required on board planes, trains, and other transportation. In October 2021, regulations went into effect that required all Canadians boarding any flights or trains to be fully vaccinated. Regarding the significant wait times and cancellations seen recently at Canadian airports, officials said they are largely due to staffing issues and not vaccine mandates. Canada is also suspending the vaccine mandate for federal public workers and those in the transportation industry.

Today’s announcement is the second change to travel that Canada has implemented in the last week, as the federal government also recently scrapped random testing at airports for vaccinated travelers.