It’s felt so long that we’ve waited for this day to come, to not only feel fully protected against COVID-19, but to also visit all our planned travel destinations for this coming year. When Justin Trudeau lifted all pervious travel restrictions for fully vaccinated Canadians earlier this month, the airports have been packed with eager fliers and quite frankly, I don’t blame them.
Feeling safe when travelling should be your #1 priority and with all the restrictions still in place, the federal government wants to make sure that we don’t have another outbreak, sending us into another torturous lockdown. If you’re still feeling confused on what being fully vaccinated means for your travel plans, here’s a list of everything you need to know about vaccinated travel.
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Feeling Safe & Protected
Being fully vaccinated means your body has built up anti-bodies to help fight off any COVID-19 infections. Being in a large, open space that has thousands of people passing through everyday – like an airport – means there’s more possibility for germs to spread. Being in an enclosed space, with a bunch of people breathing in the same air for a few hours – like an airplane – means there’s also chance of spread. Now, this isn’t news to us, airports and airplanes have always been hotspots for germs, but now that we’ve gone through what we’ve gone through, we all see it differently.
If you’re fully vaccinated, your chances of catching any of those Covid-19 infections have minimized and at last, you can feel at peace with travelling safely and not have to worry about carry around anything!
Avoid Quarantine
Yes you heard that right, fully vaccinated Canadians no longer have to quarantine upon their arrive back into the country. The only thing you’re responsible for is a pre-entry test done 48hrs before you arrival to ensure you have a negative test. The government is also asking to have a quarantine plan prepared in case you don’t get exempt.
Bye, Bye Hotel Stopover
Not having to quarantine means you can skip the required multi-day hotel stopover. This will save you thousands of dollars waiting anxiously for your test results at a government approved hotel. Being fully vaccinated means you can now arrive and go straight to the comfort of your own home.
Skip The Airport Lines
Airport times have reduced tremendously for all fully vaccinated Canadians. Canadian airports now have different lines for people of different vaccination status since there are different requirements for each. Using the ArriveCAN app ensures the time you spend waiting in line will be cut in half!.
Fewer Swabs To The Nose
You can expect to have one less COVID-19 test done during your travels if you’re fully vaccinated. In Canada, eligible fully vaccinated travellers are permitted to bypass the day eight COVID-19 test.
More Travel Destinations
Each country has their own COVID-19 travel restrictions. Some countries are asking for nothing, some for at least one dose, but the majority of them are asking for travellers to be fully vaccinated. So, while you’re planning your next trip, make sure to research required travel restrictions for the country you’re visiting. But I promise you, as a fully vaccinated traveller you’ll have more leeway to do as you please!
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Last week we heard the shocking news of a Canadian couple planning to visit Barbados for their honeymoon and they were denied entry because the country didn’t consider people who received two doses of different vaccines to be fully vaccinated.
As you can imagine, this sent shockwaves throughout the country because government officials and trusted medical officers have been pushing for more and more Canadians to get fully vaccinated, despite having to mix vaccines. This story topped international headlines and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded saying:
“We’re going to work with the international community to make sure that people who are fully vaccinated in ways that Canadians recognize as safe and effective are also recognized around the world…We work with allies … in sharing data, working with them on the best immunization strategies, so we understand the concern that Canadians have around international travel,” Trudeau said.
Since the news, Barbados has lifted these restrictions and announced that travellers with mixed doses of a COVID-19 would be categorized as fully vaccinated from July 16, 2021.
Feature Image: Dirk Singer