The Government of Canada announced Monday that effective Oct. 1, it will eliminate all COVID-19 entry restrictions for anyone arriving to the country, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.
This announcement follows Canada's "layered approach to border management to protect the health and safety of Canadians," the news release states.
Factors behind this decision include Canada largely passing the peak of the omicron BA.4 and BA.5 wave, its high vaccination rates, lower hospitalization and death rates and availability of vaccine boosters.
Following the removal of restrictions this weekend, all travelers, regardless of citizenship, will not need to submit public health information, provide vaccination proof, complete pre- or on-arrival testing, quarantine or monitor and report signs or symptoms of the virus upon arriving to Canada.
Additionally, Transport Canada will no longer require air or rail travelers to undergo health checks or wear masks. Cruises will also lift restrictions.
“Thanks largely to Canadians who have rolled up their sleeves to get vaccinated, we have reached the point where we can safely lift the sanitary measures at the border," Jean-Yves Duclos, Canada's minister of health, said in the release. "However, we expect COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses will continue to circulate over the cold months, so I encourage everyone to stay up-to-date with their COVID-19 vaccination, including booster doses and exercise individual public health measures. I also thank the dedicated public health officers and front-line staff at our land borders and airports who have worked tirelessly to protect the health and safety of people in Canada for the last two years."