Calgary businesses pushing to ease travel restrictions
by CM Staff
The roundtable of Calgary-based businesses has also claimed that Canada's current COVID-19 travel restrictions are "obsolete" and out of step with countries worldwide.
CALGARY — The Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable, medical and local business leaders have asked the federal government to remove pre-departure testing entirely for fully vaccinated travellers on or before April 1st when the regulations will be updated.
According to the travel and tourism roundtable, the government’s decision to allow the use of rapid antigen tests for pre-depature is “not grounded in science or evidence.” The travel and tourism sector continues to be the only industry subject to mandatory testing, the roundtable has also stated.
“Whether it be PCR or rapid antigen testing, COVID-19 testing at the border does not make sense. Travel is no riskier than many other domestic activities, and there is no scientific reason to single it out,” said Dr Chagla, an Infectious Diseases Physician and Associate Professor at McMaster University in a statement.
“The federal government’s outdated travel policies are unnecessarily stranding Canadians abroad, leading to travel delays, financial penalties, and potentially hazardous quarantine locations.”
The roundtable has also claimed that Canada’s current COVID-19 travel restrictions are “obsolete” and out of step with countries worldwide, including the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Denmark, which have removed all testing requirements at their respective borders for fully vaccinated travellers.
The pandemic, vaccination status, and available science have evolved, according to the Calgary-based roundtable. It has expressed the belief that Canada’s response and measures to keep Canadians safe while allowing the travel and tourism industry to re-open should also “evolve.”
