OTTAWA — The federal government says mandatory random COVID-19 testing will resume as of July 19 for fully vaccinated travellers arriving at the Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Toronto airports.

All testing for travellers, including partially or unvaccinated people, will be completed outside of airports via either an in-person appointment at select testing locations or a virtual appointment for a swab test. Travellers who are not fully vaccinated must test on both the first and eighth days of their mandatory 14-day quarantine, unless exempt.

“As we have said all along, Canada’s border measures will remain flexible and adaptable, guided by science and prudence,” says the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health. “We need to keep border-testing measures in place because that is how we track importation of the COVID-19 virus, and of new variants of concern. We will keep adapting our border measures to balance the need to protect Canadians while supporting our economic recovery.”

“As demand for travel increases across the world, [the] announcement marks an important step in our progress to streamline testing processes outside our airports while preventing the further spread of COVID-19,” says the Honourable Omar Alghabra, Minister of Transport. “The Government of Canada will continue to protect travellers and employees and ensure our transportation system is safe, reliable and resilient for the long term.”

“The safety and security of Canadians remains our top priority. As more people continue to travel again, we’re working hard and adding resources to keep things moving,” says the Honourable Marco Mendicino, Minister of Public Safety. “The CBSA is hiring new people — including retired officers and student border-services officers — making additional kiosks available and improving ArriveCAN so it is faster and easier to use. As the situation evolves, we’ll continue to make adjustments and enhancements at the border because that’s what Canadians expect.”

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