Canada to end COVID entry, travel restrictions

File Photo / Jim Neuger Cars are shown entering the United States in August 2019 at Lubec, as they come off the bridge from Campobello Island in New Brunswick, Canada.

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By Renee Cordes

Starting Oct. 1, travelers to Canada via Maine and elsewhere will no longer be subject to COVID-19 entry restrictions in place since the start of the pandemic.

Under a new policy announced Monday, all travelers, regardless of citizenship, will no longer have to submit public health information to Canadian authorities. That means travelers will not need to provide proof of vaccination, undergo pre- or on-arrival testing, carry out COVID-19-related quarantine or isolation or monitor and report any symptoms upon arrival.

Within Canada, health checks and masking requirements for air and train passengers will also be lifted.

The move follows indications that Canada has largely passed the peak of the COVID wave fueled by the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 variants and in light of Canada's high vaccination rates and lower hospitalization and death rates. The availability and use of vaccine boosters were also factored into the decision.

"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," said Jean-Yves Duclos, Canada's health minister.

He nevertheless cautioned people to stay up to-date with vaccinations amid expectations that the coronavirus and other respiratory viruses will continue to circulate over the cold months.

Maine shares a 611-mile land border with Canada, and had a number of businesses in towns such as Houlton that suffered financial hardship during the pandemic when the border was closed.

While the U.S.-Canada border was reopened last year, both countries retained travel and border restrictions.

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, welcomed Canada's decision to lift its remaining restrictions while urging the United States to do the same for Canadians entering this country.

"This positive step forward will help to reunite tight-knight border towns, where families often have ties on both sides of the border and residents routinely cross to shop, visit their medical providers, attend church and participate in local events," the Aroostook County native said in a Monday statement.

Her advice to the Biden Administration: "The U.S. should take reciprocal action to eliminate the remaining restrictions on travel to and from Canada, which were always intended to be temporary."