The federal government has announced that it will suspend mandatory random testing of COVID-19 at all airports for vaccinated passengers from June 11.
From June 11 to 30, random testing at Canadian airports will be “temporarily suspended”, although unvaccinated passengers will continue to be tested on site. From July 1, all tests, including unvaccinated travelers, will be held off-site.
“The Government of Canada recognizes the impact that significant waiting times at some Canadian airports are having on passengers. We continue to work with airports, airlines, baggage handlers and other partners to implement solutions to reduce delays. we are approaching the high summer season, “Transport Canada said in a statement on Friday.
This comes amid growing pressure from the travel and aviation industry to call on the federal government to ease COVID-19 restrictions amid long queues and delays at airports, especially at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport.
The Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), which operates Pearson Airport, had urged federals to temporarily suspend on-site testing at airports, as it expects the number of international passengers to increase by 50 percent in as the summer travel season increases.
“This is much more than Toronto Pearson; it’s about our country’s global perceptions and the risk of Canada losing billions of dollars in tourism and business if travelers decide that coming to Canada this summer just isn’t worth it. sorry for the inconvenience. ” GTAA CEO Deborah Flint said Thursday in a statement about delays at the airport.
The federal government had already exempted international travelers with a connecting flight from being withdrawn for random testing. Transport Canada says it has also hired 865 CATSA control officers since April.
Other measures, such as vaccine warrants against COVID-19 and the mandatory use of the ArriveCAN application, remain in force. The federal government says the Public Health Agency of Canada is deploying additional staff at airports to verify ArriveCAN shipments and help travelers use the app.
During a virtual press conference on Friday morning, Canada’s director of public health, Dr. Theresa Tam, described the random testing of travelers as an “early warning system” designed to detect incoming variants.
“We do a random sample to select people from different parts of the world and they are able to detect variants of concern,” Tam said.
THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY APPLAUDS
The travel and aviation industries welcome the move to stop random testing at airports, and say so as a step in the right direction.
On Twitter, the Canadian Airports Council described the measure as “a big step forward for Canadian travelers and the tourism industry”, while the National Airlines Council of Canada said it was “a positive step, rooted in science and “evidence, which will improve conditions at Canadian airports and reduce complexity for travelers.”
The Tourism Industry Association of Canada also tweeted that they were “excited to hear the news today.”
“We hope this is permanent and that barriers to travel to Canada continue to be removed,” the associate tweeted on Friday.
Conservatives, however, say pausing random testing is not far enough and have called on the Liberals to lift all remaining COVID-19 travel measures, including vaccine warrants. Conservative transport critic Melissa Lantsman described the move to stop random testing only to return it out of place in July as a “poorly thought-out reaction” to growing pressure to lift restrictions.
“You can’t travel to this country unless you’re vaccinated. You’re still resuming testing on July 1. They’re not measures. They’re average measures. They’re a reaction from the United States, and the government is under pressure, and rightly so. because these alignments in Pearson are an abdication of responsibility on the part of this federal government, “Lantsman told CTV’s Power and Politics on Friday.
Even within the liberal caucus, there have been disagreements over the continuation of COVID-19 vaccine warrants for air and train travelers, as well as foreign tourists entering Canada. Northern Ontario Liberal MP Marc Serré told reporters on Parliament Hill on Friday that he believed it was “probably time to move on”.
“These mandates were important. There is a high vaccination rate. We have safe Canadians. There are far fewer people who have died here per capita than many other countries. So the mandates worked. The mandates are important, but now it’s probably time to move. on the move, “he said.
Meanwhile, NDP transportation critic Taylor Bachrach believes the federal government needs to be more transparent in making decisions about public health measures and says liberals should have been better prepared for the increase in the demand for air travel.
“We need the government to provide the evidence. They have to explain the public health advice they are receiving from Dr. Tam, and they haven’t done it and people are getting more and more frustrated because they see other jurisdictions that don’t have the same ones. public health measures, “he told CTV’s Power and Politics on Friday.
Pausing mandatory random testing at airports is a big step forward for travelers and the tourism industry in Canada. We are beginning to see signs of progress in all areas of the airport. Thanks @OmarAlghabra https://t.co/1GAutZ6PMR
– canadasairports (@canadasairports) June 10, 2022
Canadian airlines are grateful for Minister @OmarAlghabra’s decision to suspend and relocate mandatory random tests to airports. This is a positive step, rooted in science and evidence, that will improve conditions at Canadian airports and reduce the complexity of travelers.
– NACC-CNLA (@NACC_CNLA) June 10, 2022