Considering that now the spread of COVID-19 has slowed, many countries continue to lift their travel restrictions except for Canada, which is one of the few Western Hemisphere countries that is not only maintaining strict border rules in place but also adding new measures.
The country allows fully immunized individuals to enter without pre-departure testing or quarantine, but has yet to drop its much-criticized random testing policy, VisaGuide.World reports.
As a result, it means that travelers who decide to visit Canada must be tested for COVID-19 upon arrival.
Regarding this situation, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) previously urged the Canadian Government to remove the current restrictions imposed to stop the spread of the Coronavirus.
IATA called on the Canadian authorities to abolish random testing for internationals reaching the country and put an end to the vaccination requirement for them. The association also urged authorities in Canada to lift the compulsory face mask requirement.
According to IATA, Canada’s current restrictions are out of step with the global trend of lifting travel restrictions, considering such measures responsible for the ongoing delays and disruption affecting the country’s travel and tourism sector.
“The Government should follow the lead of its peers, including, for example, Australia. While that country had some of the toughest travel restrictions during the height of the pandemic, it has now lifted these, including the mandatory vaccination requirement. Rather than following this example and enabling travel and tourism to recover, those in power in Canada believe that throwing more red tape at the pandemic is the way forward,” IATA’s Regional Vice President for the Americas, Peter Cerda, pointed in this regard.
Unlike Canada, European territories such as Malta, Greece, and the British Virgin Islands have recently abolished the majority of the restrictions imposed due to COVID-19.
At the same time, Australia has been fully reopened for tourism without any health requirements.
Besides Canada, authorities in the United States also refused to lift the remaining COVID-19 restrictions, including mandatory vaccinations for tourists arriving in the country.
Due to the current measures, Canadians are extremely unhappy with how their representatives manage the current COVID-19 situation. The latest Ipsos poll, which was published on July 15, showed that only 37 percent of respondents agreed that the Federal Government is “doing enough” to tackle delays and cancellations. Meanwhile, the vast majority of them, or 63 percent, do not agree.