6 • THURSDAY, July 15, 2021
VIEWPOINT
www.merrittherald.com
GOVERNMENT
ALBAS: Changes at the border
Starting on July 5th, restrictions were slightly eased when crossing the border into Canada. Unfortunately this has led to some misunDAN ALBAS derstanding in VIEW FROM certain circumTHE HILL stances. For example, while some restrictions have been eased, the requirement for U.S. and other citizens coming to Canada for only essential reasons has not been relaxed or otherwise changed. U.S. and other non-Canadian citizens coming to Canada for non-essential reasons will still be turned away at the border. This means that any potential tourists coming to vacation in Canada continues to be prohibited. So what has changed? The most significant change is that for Canadian citizens eligible for entry, there is now a process to potentially not be subject to mandatory 14 day quarantine, including the mandatory hotel stopover for air travel where applicable. The conditions to bypass the quarantine include proof of your vaccination, you must also provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test that has been taken within 72 hours of your entry into Canada. Proof of vaccination can be provided online via the ArriveCANweb portal or through the ArriveCAN app that can be found on both the Google Play Store and the App Store for iPhone. For travellers who are not fully vaccinated, there are no changes to the existing restrictions and quarantine requirements. Now that there is a Government of Canada app to provide proof of vaccination, how do you feel about that? I can be reached at Dan.Albas@parl. gc.ca or call toll free 1-800-665-8711.
Publisher Theresa Arnold publisher@merrittherald.com 250-378-4241
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