TRAVEL.GC.CA Website Update - January 20th!

[K_e_short]

I just went on the website to check on something that was mentioned on another thread and it's been updated today with the following:

 

You can go look at the information yourself but now it is very clear that you can not enter Canada with a positive Covid Test.

The wording doesnn't say "may" be fined $5000.

 

Sorry for being the bearer of bad news 😞

 

https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/travel-restrictions/covid-vaccinated-travellers-entering-canada#pre-entry-testing

Positive results on your pre-entry test

A positive pre-entry test result within 72 hours of your planned entry is not a valid test result for entry to Canada.

 

Foreign nationals with symptoms or with a positive result from less than 15 days before arriving (starting January 15, 2022, 11 days) will be denied entry.

Canadians: To avoid being fined $5,000 per traveller (plus surcharges), wait to enter Canada until the 15th day (starting January 15, 2022, 11th day) after your positive test result. If you had symptoms without a positive result, wait until the symptoms have ended and you have a valid negative pre-entry test result.

• Canadians include citizens, people registered under the Indian Act, permanent residents and protected persons (refugee status)

If you have symptoms or a positive result, we recommend postponing your travel until you have:

• a negative result for a COVID-19 molecular test taken within 72 hours of your scheduled flight to Canada or arriving at the land border; OR
• a positive result for a COVID-19 molecular test that was taken 15 to 180 days (starting January 15, 2022, between 11 and 180 days) before entering Canada

[mom says]

1 hour ago, K_e_short said:

now it is very clear that you can not enter Canada with a positive Covid Test.

Well that's just not true. It says right in  your quote that if you are a Canadian you can enter with a positive test.

 

If you enter within 3 days of the positive test, you will be fined, but you won't be denied entry.

If you enter within 11-180 days after the positive test, there is no fine.

Edited January 21, 2022 by mom says

[K_e_short]

40 minutes ago, mom says said:

Well that's just not true. It says right in  your quote that if you are a Canadian you can enter with a positive test.

 

If you enter within 3 days of the positive test, you will be fined, but you won't be denied entry.

If you enter within 11-180 days after the positive test, there is no fine.

 

I was just trying to be helpful as unless you go on the website on a regular basis you won't know there are changes.

 

Let me change my statement.

 

Unless you are very rich and can afford $5000 per person to enter Canada with a positive test taken less then 11 days ago, YOU CAN NOT ENTER.

 

But then again if you are rich enough to afford $5000 per person, you are probaby rich enough to just stay out of Canada until Day 11.

 

So many people here are concerned about paying $40, $150, $200 for a test that is required for travel, I would have thought people who be insanely upset, worried about $5000.

 

But I guess not.

 

 

 

[mom says]

If you only want to be helpful, then be accurate with your quotes and at least attempt to be clear that

your statements are opinion and not fact.

 

And I don't know what level of accommodations you require, but I can spend 10 -11 days away from home for a whole lot less than $5000 pp. And that is without considering  the reimbursement I'd get from the COVID quarantine insurance we have.

 

But you are quite correct that those who have difficulty affording the cost of COVID testing would definitely have difficulty affording a quarantine away from home or the fine at the land border. All the more reason to be full mindful of the possible consequences before engaging in any nonessential  international travel during a pandemic.

[xcell]

Thanks OP for the info....it's Friday 🙂

 

 

Edited January 21, 2022 by xcell

[A&L_Ont]

OP, thanks from me as well. I knew what you were stating, and why you took the time to post. 

[Liverpoolfan181]

Thank you @K_e_short for all the updates for continued changing verbiage! TGIF

 

[DirtyDawg]

11 hours ago, K_e_short said:

 

I was just trying to be helpful as unless you go on the website on a regular basis you won't know there are changes.

 

Let me change my statement.

 

Unless you are very rich and can afford $5000 per person to enter Canada with a positive test taken less then 11 days ago, YOU CAN NOT ENTER.

 

But then again if you are rich enough to afford $5000 per person, you are probaby rich enough to just stay out of Canada until Day 11.

 

So many people here are concerned about paying $40, $150, $200 for a test that is required for travel, I would have thought people who be insanely upset, worried about $5000.

 

But I guess not.

 

 

 

No worries, Most of the readers knew you stated your opinion. Thanks for posting the information. 

Now we'll have to find out if this is just another bluff by the Feds or if they will actually fine folks the $5K. Frankly I'd love to see them have a backbone and actually fine people. That might get more people to vacation in Canada this year. Our domestic tourism industry could sure use the business.  (Easily said by yours truly as I've already been down South  this year. 😉)

 

 

 

Edited January 21, 2022 by DirtyDawg

[A&L_Ont]

12 minutes ago, DirtyDawg said:

Now we'll have to find out if this is just another bluff by the Feds or if they will actually fine folks the $5K. Frankly I'd love to see them have a backbone and actually fine people. That might get more people to vacation in Canada this year. Our domestic tourism industry could sure use the business.  (Easily said by yours truly as I've already been down South  this year. 😉)

 

Maybe the key is having $1K cash in your passport in advance of customs inspection.  If the fine is just a "maybe".😉 (joking font is on for this comment)

[Atlantic Girl]

K_e_short you are becoming my Go to person for all GOC travel rules. Keep up the good reporting, it really helps when someone takes the initiative and puts the work in to keep the rest of us informed. 

[CruisinFinsUp]

Wow.  Covid is here already.  What are they trying to achieve? 

 

[gmbhardy]

5 minutes ago, CruisinFinsUp said:

Wow.  Covid is here already.  What are they trying to achieve? 

 

Good question. It’s part of the “big brother” governance model. The government knows what’s best for you, and if you don’t agree, you’ll have to pay. Pretty vindictive isn’t it?

[MamatoJack]

That $5000 is the minimum too, note the "surcharges".

Most of the stories I've read where people get hit with the charges it's $6500 or more each. 

I'd have to isolate in the US personally, can't afford over $10K, but finding a reasonable place for 10 days to isolate (or really only a week-ish since I'd be tested 2 or 3 days before my expected return home) should be reasonable and less than that. 

 

However, I am hoping that Canada will move to the UK & Spain direction of treating this as more endemic than pandemic and learn to live with it, treat it more as cold/flu and get rid of all the testing to begin with... I can live in hope. 

[A&L_Ont]

15 minutes ago, MamatoJack said:

However, I am hoping that Canada will move to the UK & Spain direction of treating this as more endemic than pandemic and learn to live with it, treat it more as cold/flu and get rid of all the testing to begin with... I can live in hope. 

I”m trying to have hope like you but have too much realistic genes in my body. I unfortunately don’t see change happening Canada wide anytime soon even though it is heading the direction of endemic.  At least not with the approach that is being taken today, and this new border announcement seems to be saying that nothing is changing. 

 

In January of 2020 the Feds were slow to do prevent Covid. Then in March/April repatriated Canadians from around the world. With the Delta variant in February of 2021 they were slow to bring in travel restrictions, testing and quarantine hotels.  Meanwhile at the same time vaccines were trickling in.
 

Here we are January of 2022 with over 80% of the nation double vaccinated and many boosted it feels as though they are taking the hardest approach on citizens. Didn’t they once say when we hit 80% vaccinated things would go back to normal. Now here are talking about fines to vaccinated Canadians.  They just stopped unvaccinated truckers from crossing the border, a loss of 25,000 drivers a day.  Any shortage of goods crossing by truck last week will only become longer. It feels like decisions are being not a day late and a dollar short, but months late and millions more spent. 
 

I have optimism but the Feds certainly aren’t making me warm and fuzzy. The media is not helping either. 

[A&L_Ont]

A friend of mine shred this with me. Even if one doesn’t like the national post, it is worth the read. I will admit their pop-ups are horrendous.
 

https://nationalpost.com/opinion/sabrina-maddeaux-the-liberals-are-denying-citizens-their-charter-right-to-re-enter-canada

Edited January 21, 2022 by A&L_Ont

[DirtyDawg]

14 minutes ago, A&L_Ont said:

A friend of mine shred this with me. Even if one doesn’t like the national post, it is worth the read. I will admit their pop-ups are horrendous.
 

https://nationalpost.com/opinion/sabrina-maddeaux-the-liberals-are-denying-citizens-their-charter-right-to-re-enter-canada

You got to love any columnist who includes Schadenfreude in the article! 

[mousefan73]

NOn Canadian here just observing this board as we have cruise leaving Vancouver in April. I am just at time dumbfounded by Canada. Seeing how they are aligned so tight with the US, UK and the EU But with Covid they seem to go the Asia/Pacific Realm route.  Everyday more and more I hope the Cruiselines figure out a solution for Alaska and Hawaii that excludes CA. Sorry folks, would love to visit Vancouver, but it's putting US cruises a risk of being cancelled again. so frustrating. 

[A&L_Ont]

6 minutes ago, mousefan73 said:

NOn Canadian here just observing this board as we have cruise leaving Vancouver in April. I am just at time dumbfounded by Canada. Seeing how they are aligned so tight with the US, UK and the EU But with Covid they seem to go the Asia/Pacific Realm route. 

 

Hard to say, just speculation on my part.  I’m not sure if our lead DR has some influence on this. In fact Dr Tam, is literally speaking as I am typing on national news live. When asked about relaxed restrictions in the future she responded with the answer that they are preparing for the next wave and didn’t answer the question about when possible masks restrictions and travel might be lifted. Her fellow DR stated that wearing masks should be empowering to protect oneself. Doom and gloom. 
 

As for the route Canada has taken, we also might have gone that route because of lack of vaccine availability once they were available in January 2021.  The US  had “a never ending supply” producing more than a million a day, and we were getting at first 30K delivered a week for the entire nation.  It wasn’t until late spring/early summer that we were hitting a million doses delivered a week for the nation. Perhaps better to hide, because we couldn’t get protection. 

 

6 minutes ago, mousefan73 said:

Everyday more and more I hope the Cruiselines figure out a solution for Alaska and Hawaii that excludes CA. Sorry folks, would love to visit Vancouver, but it's putting US cruises a risk of being cancelled again. so frustrating. 

If you can, I’d try to rebook/switch to sail out of Seattle for Alaska. I believe the cruise restrictions from Canada were not reinstated when they expired late in 2021.  
 

However with the speed of a glacial government, to which things move here, I don’t see cruises starting up here then. Probably another ban to come, as it looks to me at this moment. Our province has restrictions until at least March 14, if not delayed further on top of that.  If you go in April that doesn’t leave a whole lot of time in between. 

[1kaper]

3 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

 

Maybe the key is having $1K cash in your passport in advance of customs inspection.  If the fine is just a "maybe".😉 (joking font is on for this comment)

Hey, it worked for one of my travel mates at the border in Tanzania when he didn't have a yellow fever vax card.  $50 in the passport and he was good to go. 

[LuCruise]

Thanks OP.  Am watching this very closely as we were hoping to drive across for our March cruise but yet, another holiday that we most likely won't make.  Sadly, I don't see this changing any time "soon" as our government really doesn't want us to travel (and doesn't care about our mental health)....but not sure what "soon" entails.  Personally I think it's a low blow that they have added this clause as it's been proven that travel isn't the source of our cases these days.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

1 hour ago, 1kaper said:

Hey, it worked for one of my travel mates at the border in Tanzania when he didn't have a yellow fever vax card.  $50 in the passport and he was good to go. 

Not a very smart person 🙄

[broberts]

Until most of the world is fully vaccinated, including necessary boosters, it's fantasy to expect lifting of travel restrictions and other mitigation protocols.

 

Recognizing a virus is endemic does not change the fact that it is pandemic. The two states are not mutually exclusive.

 

We can hope cruise restrictions get relaxed in time for an Alaska season out of Vancouver. Given negative tests and full vaccinations, there seems to be little reason to keep the ban in place. Sadly, the logic of community health specialists is not always apparent.

[Tango99]

On Travelgc.ca check out the further statements about the ArriveCan app and the need to input a quarantine plan if you are selected for random testing and test positive. The whole scenario that the OP posted is accurate and counter intuitive to common sense and human rights but it is there.  It might be how that can be dumbed down to if the gov needs to pay for quarantine. And keep in mind that clearly, there is a need to be prepared to re-think plans and self-isolate if planning to get onto an airplane or cross the border with symptoms. I’m on the side of caution and do not plan to let my guard down at any point. And yes, we have a quarantine plan in place. 

[macfam5]

On 1/20/2022 at 8:46 PM, mom says said:

COVID quarantine insurance we have.

What Covid insurance do you have? I am trying to figure out which one to get 

[edrussell]

We are onboard Enchantment right now and our plan would be to take a run at the border should we test positive.  Unsure if that is wise or not, but we will see.  Really hoping it doesn't come to that.  We drove and our truck is parked at the cruise terminal.  We have enough fuel and have food so we technically can load our luggage into the truck and not interact with a single person until we hit the land crossing.