Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said today that Canada has no plans to open its borders to unvaccinated tourists for the foreseeable future because the pandemic is far from over.
“This is not going to happen for long. We are not out of this pandemic yet. We still have to be careful, we still have to be vigilant,” Trudeau said at a news conference in Coquitlam, British Columbia.
Canada has relaxed some of its border restrictions in recent weeks as COVID-19 case numbers and other health metrics have steadily improved since spring.
For example, the country no longer requires fully vaccinated Canadian citizens and permanent residents to self-quarantine for 14 days after arriving in the country.
However, fully vaccinated international tourists have not yet been allowed into the country, although officials have said the restrictions will end soon.
Watch: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau outlines Canada’s priorities for easing border restrictions
Trudeau says he will proceed in an orderly fashion on border restrictions, focusing first on fully vaccinated travelers entering Canada before looking at what those who are not fully vaccinated can do. 0:50
“We will make sure that we move forward with that in the coming weeks,” Trudeau said. He did not give a specific date.
“We have to make sure, however, that every step of the way we don’t back off, that we don’t have to re-close, that we don’t have to go again in our openings and shutdowns.”
Travel restrictions between Canada and the United States that ban all non-essential travel, including tourism, are also set to remain in place until at least July 21.
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