Canada’s Travel Ban

Today Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada announced new travel restrictions which will severely change the the Canadian travel landscape. We have taken his address from Ottawa, where he is under self-quarantine, and distilled down the important points for travellers. These are the key points you need to know about Canada’s travel ban.

First off, Canada is restricting all international travelers except Canadians and Permanent Residents with a few exceptions, chief of among then are Americans who for the time being can still come to Canada. Other exceptions include air crews, diplomats and relatives of Canadians.

Effective on Wednesday all international flights will be confirmed to just 4 airports, Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver, while US, Mexican and Caribbean flights will be allowed to come and go as usual. When pressed if he would close the US-Canada border he hinted that this was step that may be taken in the future.

The message however was frank. If you’re a Canadian abroad the window is closing on when you will be able to come back viable commercial means. The Canadian government is taking COVID-19 deadly seriously and will do all it can to protect Canadians, and that will likely mean even more restrictions to come… and those could come within hours or days. For Canadian travelers this means staying put in Canada for the foreseeable future and avoiding all unnecessary trips.

Canadian Border Closings from Re:Source Media on Vimeo.