Canada extends Covid vaccination-related measures despite airport delays

Long queues at airports have resulted in passengers being stuck in airplanes for hours before deplaning, and facing delays lasting multiple hours before clearing customs and other formalities

The Canadian government on Tuesday announced extension of Covid vaccination-related measures for yet another month even as a motion to remove travel restrictions was voted down by the ruling Liberal Party with support from the New Democratic Party (NDP).

Travellers crowd the security queue in the departures lounge at the start of the Victoria Day holiday long weekend at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. (REUTERS)

Current border measures for travellers entering Canada are being extended till at least June 30, according to a tweet from Health Canada.

This will mean that foreign citizens will still be required to be fully vaccinated to enter the country, while unvaccinated Canadians and permanent residents will have to provide a negative result of a molecular test prior to boarding a flight for a Canadian destination and be subject to a 14-day quarantine.

As number of Covid cases fall and more people start flying with Covid-19 cases, main opposition Conservative Party MP Melissa Lantsman moved a motion in the House of Commons calling upon the government “to immediately revert to pre-pandemic rules and service levels for travel”.

The motion noted that Canadians were experiencing “unacceptable wait times” at airports, which are still operating at reduced capacity despite current restrictions being cited by experts as “ineffective” and causing delays. It added that Canada’s international allies have moved to lift similar restrictions at airports as well as other ports of entry.

In a tweet after the vote, Lantsman said that the government has still “not shared any justification for their outdated and out-of-step restrictions.”

Long queues at airports have resulted in passengers being stuck in airplanes for hours before deplaning, and facing delays lasting multiple hours before clearing customs and other formalities.

On May 18, the Canadian Airports Council, in a tweet, called upon the government “to remove random tests & public health questions at customs to ease the delays passengers face when they arrive in Canada”.