Canada Suspends Random Covid Tests For Vaccinated Travelers At Airports

Ottawa Transport Minister, Omar Alghabra has announced that the government will pause all mandatory random COVID tests at Canada’s airports for vaccinated travelers effective from Saturday until the end of June.

Afterwards, mandatory rapid tests for incoming travelers will take place in the community.

For now, unvaccinated travellers will still be tested at airports, however, the government intends to move that testing off-site next month also.

The government had earlier said current public health measures would remain in place until the end of June, but has been facing mounting pressure from industry and opposition to improve the chaotic situation playing out in Canada’s airports.

“The government of Canada recognizes the impact that significant wait times at some Canadian airports are having on travellers,“ Alghabra and his fellow ministers stated in a statement issued on Friday.

The Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable, that comprises of industry groups, blames recent havoc at Canadian airports on the COVID-19 surveillance measures imposed on passengers attempting to pass through customs.

While the public health measures were manageable during the heat of the pandemic when far fewer people were travelling, the roundtable says it’s not sustainable given the current demand for flights.