Updated February 12, 2020
MANDATORY HOTEL QUARANTINE
Effective Date: February 22nd 2021
End Date: Unknown
The mandatory hotel quarantine for all international travels flying into Canada will come into effect on February 22nd, 2021. I'm still waiting for the Government to update their website but news outlets have already begun to report (sources below).
What We Know:
Travelers flying into Canada will be required to take another PCR test upon arrival (I'm unclear if this is in-addition to the PCR test requirement to get into Canada as the Government of Canada has not updated their website yet and sources are unclear on this).
Travelers will have to stay at a 'government approved facility' for a minimum of 3 days (at their own expense costing up to $2,000), until they receive their results
If travelers test positive they will be transported to another hotel
There are exemptions for "essential travel" but still unclear on what those are
Land Travel:
I'm hearing rumors that this will also apply to land travel but still TBD
New Land Travel Rules: travelers travelling by land will be required to provide a negative covid-19 PCR test (taken min. of 72 hours in advance) upon arrival
Effective Date: Potentially as early as February 15, 2021
Updated: January 31st, 2021
NEW International Air Requirements:
Effective Date: (Can be as early as Thursday February 4th)
The Government of Canada will be forcing mandatory HOTEL quarantine for up to 3 days for everyone arriving on international flights. All vacation destinations from Canadian Airlines will be cancelled started Sunday January 31st until April 30, 2021.
Okay everyone, here's what we know so far:
Canadians will have to quarantine in a government facilitated hotel for up to 3 day while they await results for their PCR test upon arrival back into Canada (may start as early as Thursday February 4th, 2021)
The hotel stay will be paid for out of pocket by the traveler (apparently $2,000 cost per traveler according to news outlets)
All vacation destination flights to the Caribbean and Mexico will be cancelled beginning Sunday January 31st until April 30, 2021.
All previous measures listed in my previous update is also still in effect.
Still waiting for clarification and details of this new plan and will update asap with information. According to CBC (article listed below) travelers can expect this new Hotel Quarantine Plan to begin as early as Thursday February 4th, 2021 .
Source #1: https://www.canada.ca/en/transport-canada/news/2021/01/government-of-canada-introduces-further-restrictions-on-international-travel.html Source #2: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/new-pandemic-travel-measures-soon-1.5895349
Source #3: https://www.cp24.com/news/trudeau-ending-travel-down-south-will-require-all-incoming-travellers-to-quarantine-in-hotels-1.5287360
Source #4: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-travel-measures-1.5892992
Updated: January 7th, 2021
NEW International Air Requirements: Effective January 7th 2021, travelers (5 years and older) will be required to provide a Negative Covid-19 Test before boarding international flights back to Canada.
Updated International Travel Checklist (Canadians Returning to Canada via Air):
1. Negative Covid-19 Test
Must be taken within 72 hours of scheduled departure time. See below for requirements.
2. Mandatory 14 Day Quarantine
For all travelers, regardless if you test negative or positive and/or have the vaccine
3. Download ArriveCAN APP
(https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/coronavirus-disease-covid-19/arrivecan.html)
Paper option is no longer available – I’m not sure if this if the paper format is available flying in from other countries, but when I recently traveled from he U.S. back into Canada it was no longer valid
You'll have to update your “status” on the ArriveCAN app daily until your 14 day quarantine is over.
4. Temperature Check
Travelers to and from Canada will have to have their temperature check
IMPORTANT (for Non-Canadians): Foreign Nationals (unless under specific “exemptions”) are still not allowed to enter Canada, based on the Canada-us. Temperature border restrictions implemented on March 21, 2020.
More information can be found on: https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/travel-restrictions/visitors-workers-students
Accepted Covid-19 Tests (sourced from Travel.gc.ca):
PCR - Polymerase chain reaction
RT-PCR - reverse transcription real time PCR
Quantitative PCR (qPCR)
Nucleic acid test (NAT) or Nucleic acid amplification test (NAATs)
Reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP)
Isothermal amplification
Droplet digital PCR or digital droplet PCR (ddPCR)
RNA (Ribonucleic acid)
Ct (cycle threshold)
CRISPR
Sequencing
Next generational sequencing (NGS) or whole genome sequencing (WGS)
Oxford Nanopore sequencing (LamPORE)
Detection of the N gene
Detection of Orf1a/b
Detection of the S gene
Detection of the E gene
Detection of the RdRp gene
Source: https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/travel-restrictions/flying#health-check
This is very informative. Keep these updates coming!