Effective October 1, Canada will end all COVID-19 entry restrictions. All international travellers, regardless of citizenship, will no longer have to:
- submit public health information through the ArriveCAN app or website
- provide proof of vaccination
- undergo pre- or on-arrival testing
- carry out COVID-19-related quarantine or isolation
- monitor and report if they develop signs or symptoms of COVID-19 upon arriving to Canada
Canadian carriers Air Canada and WestJet welcomed the announcement which came earlier this week. Both have lobbied for changes amid thousands of non-compliance incidents in 2022.
It’s believed that the move will boost the Canadian travel industry which has enjoyed a period of boom after months of lag during the pandemic.
Transport Canada is also removing existing domestic travel requirements. As of October 1, 2022, travellers will no longer be required to undergo health checks or wear masks on domestic flights within Canada. The same applies to rail travel.
Outside of Canada, the masking requirement was lifted earlier. US Domestic Air Carriers no longer require masks and, internationally, the number of airlines still requiring masks is dropping.
German air carrier Lufthansa recently announced that it too would end the masking requirement on flights to and from Germany on October 1. It now joins other major European carriers Air France and KLM with this move.
UK carrier British Airways is no longer requiring masks with the exception of flights traveling to or from a destination where masking is still mandatory.
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