Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defends the recent extension of COVID-19 border restrictions, saying the decision is “science-anchored” as representatives of the travel and tourism industry gather in Ottawa to call for relief.
Trudeau said Canada is still in the midst of a pandemic and lifting restrictions, such as requiring foreign tourists to show evidence of COVID-19 vaccination at the entrance, could too soon lead to worse results for in the travel industry.
“The reality is that no matter how much people want to pretend we’re not, we’re still in a pandemic. There are Canadians who die every day because of COVID-19,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
“I know people want to go back to the things we love, but what will also hurt our tourism industry even more is if we have another wave.”
Industry groups held a press conference Wednesday later, urging the federal government to alleviate travel issues, such as long queues and delays, in time for the summer travel season.
“We did our part to keep Canadians safe and now it’s our turn to recover. Travel has returned with revenge and we couldn’t be happier, but the passenger experience at our Canadian airports is a challenge,” he said. Susie Grynol, President and CEO of the Canada Hotel Association.
Acting President of the Canadian Airports Council, Monette Pasher, said that while the organization is welcoming the government’s steps to increase the staffing levels of the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) needs to do more.
“We urge the federal government to take three specific short-term actions to immediately ease the pressure on the system. Canada’s public checkpoints at government checkpoints and at the international border and eliminate vaccination warrants for CATSA and CBSA workers, “he said.
On Tuesday, the Public Health Agency of Canada announced that border rules would be extended to at least June 30.
Foreign tourists will still be required to provide proof of being fully vaccinated, and Canadian citizens or non-vaccinated permanent residents must also show proof of a COVID-19 molecular test done before entering and entering Canada. quarantine for 14 days.
All travelers coming to Canada, regardless of their nationality, must also continue to submit their health information through the ArriveCAN app before entering.
Randomized testing for fully vaccinated individuals also remains in place.
The extension of the border rules came a day after Parliament voted against a Conservative motion to return to pre-pandemic travel guidelines.
With a Tom Yun file from CTVNews.ca