The current requirement to provide a negative Covid-19 test when crossing into Canada at a Canadian border ends April 1, the Canada Minister of Health announced on Friday. Travelers still must provide a proof of Covid vaccination, but will not need a booster shot to be considered fully vaccinated.
Travel to and from Alaska has been logistically difficult for the past two years of increasingly strict rules on both sides of the border, after the Covid-19 virus became an international policy sensation. Vaccinated travelers can cross into the U.S. by land border without being tested, but Canada has insisted on a recent Covid test, which is difficult for some Alaskans to get, since home tests are not accepted by Canadian Customs. Travelers through the Canadian border also have had to make border appointments through an app.
The travel for those working in Juneau or traveling from border communities such as Skagway to Whitehorse or Tok to Beaver Creek has been especially difficult for the past two years. Getting a Covid test for the border at Skagway that meets the time requirement means a trip to Juneau, for example.
Rules are not lifting entirely. Travelers arriving to Canada from any country, even if fully vaccinated, may be chosen for random testing, which will be mandatory. If selected for mandatory random testing, travelers will not be required to quarantine while await
Unless otherwise exempt, all travelers 5 years of age or older who do not qualify as fully vaccinated must continue to provide proof of an accepted type of pre-entry Covid-19 test result:
- a valid, negative antigen test, administered or observed by an accredited lab or testing provider, taken outside of Canada no more than one day before their initially scheduled flight departure time or their arrival at the land border or marine port of entry; or
- a valid negative molecular test taken no more than 72 hours before their initially scheduled flight departure time or their arrival at the land border or marine port of entry; or
- a previous positive molecular test taken at least 10 calendar days and no more than 180 calendar days before their initially scheduled flight departure time or their arrival at the land border or marine port of entry. It is important to note that positive antigen test results will not be accepted.
All travelers continue to be required to submit their mandatory information in ArriveCAN (free mobile app or website) before their arrival in Canada. Travelers who arrive without completing their ArriveCAN submission may have to test on arrival and quarantine for 14 days, regardless of their vaccination status. Travelers arriving by cruise ship or plane must submit their information in ArriveCAN within 72 hours before boarding.
