Canada to ease border measures and welcome vaccinated US tourists next month

Non-essential travel between the two countries has been limited for more than a year

Vehicles enter the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel in Detroit to travel to Canada. AP

Canada will start allowing fully vaccinated US citizens and permanent residents into the country on August 9 for non-essential travel as the threat from the Covid-19 pandemic fades, Ottawa said on Monday.

Businesses on both sides of the border, particularly the travel and airline industries, are demanding an end to restrictions on non-essential travel between Canada and the US, which were first imposed in March 2020.

Fully vaccinated visitors from countries other than the US will be permitted to enter from September 7.

The relaxation depends on Canada's Covid-19 situation remaining favourable, the government said in a statement.

“Thanks to the hard work of Canadians, rising vaccination rates and declining Covid-19 cases, the government … is able to move forward with adjusted border measures,” it said.

People eligible to enter Canada must have received their final vaccination at least 14 days beforehand. From August 9, Ottawa is also lifting the requirement that all travellers arriving by air must spend three nights in a hotel.

The government said, however, that Canadians should avoid non-essential travel abroad.