Leaders from the travel and aviation industries are welcoming the federal government’s further easing of COVID-19 travel restrictions.
Federal ministers announced on Tuesday afternoon that as of June 20, travellers will no longer be required to present proof of vaccination to board a plane or a train, although vaccines will still be required for foreign tourists. Unvaccinated travellers will also have to quarantine upon returning to Canada.
The travel and aviation industries have long been calling on the feds to ease the remaining COVID-19 travel mandates amid long lines and delays at Canada’s airports, especially at Toronto Pearson. But while Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc told reporters that this easing of restrictions was not done with the intent to address airport delays, industry leaders are happy.
“This is something we’ve been asking for,” Beth Potter, CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada told CTV News Channel on Tuesday. “We really hope that it will help to eliminate some of the congestion … as well as reunite a whole lot of Canadians with their friends and family who have not been able to travel for the last almost two years.”
The federal government will also lift the vaccine requirement for federally-regulated transportation workers, allowing unvaccinated employees in these sectors to return to work. The Canadian Airports Council says this measure will help alleviate staff shortages at airlines and airports.
“This is good news for travel and tourism in Canada and a step forward that will help relieve air travel bottlenecks and aviation staff shortages,” the council said in a statement on social media.
The Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), which operates Pearson airport, says there are “hundreds of workers across the Pearson ecosystem who are sitting on the sidelines” thanks to the now-lifted vaccine mandates.
“This represents a very positive development,” the GTAA said in a…
