Christopher Reynolds
Medical professionals and industry groups are calling on Ottawa to end all COVID-19 border testing requirements as the travel sector struggles to recover two years into the pandemic.
Rule changes, including removal of the requirement that fully vaccinated Canadian travellers take a pre-departure COVID-19 molecular test, took effect Monday.
Rapid antigen tests administered by a health professional remain mandatory for foreign visitors, and for Canadians who want to avoid quarantining at home for 10 days upon return.
At a Monday news conference at the Calgary airport hosted by the Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable, WestJet communications vice-president Richard Bartrem said the carrier’s flight volume remains at half of its 2019 level of roughly 700 trips per day.
“Fully vaccinated Canadians and inbound visitors should no longer be subject to out-of-pocket testing expenses and outdated measures when returning home,” he said.
Dr. Zain Chagla,…
