Canada will not open its border to non-essential, unvaccinated visitors for quite a while, Trudeau says
Elaine Thompson/AP
(CNN) -- Days after Canada dropped its quarantine requirement for fully vaccinated Canadians entering the country, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rejected the idea that non-essential unvaccinated visitors will soon be allowed in.
"I can tell you right now that's not going to happen for quite a while," Trudeau said during a campaign-style stop in British Columbia on Thursday. Trudeau did not say when vaccinated travelers would be permitted.
The Canada-US border remains closed to non-essential travel until at least July 21 and only Canadian citizens and residents are currently allowed to enter the country, unless they are exempted in order to carry out essential work.
"We need to continue to ensure that the safety of Canadians," Trudeau said, adding the government needed to make sure that the sacrifices people have been making for months "are not for nothing."
On July 5, the government eased mandatory quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated nationals and residents arriving from abroad. Federal officials called this a "first phase" of reopening given the pace of vaccination in Canada.
In order to avoid going into quarantine, travelers must provide proof of full vaccination at least 14 days prior to travel and a negative Covid-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours of entering Canada.
Unvaccinated travelers will be required to self-isolate at home until the results of their Covid-19 test comes back negative.
Canada's Covid-19 case count has been dropping steadily and vaccinations have been ramping up, with nearly 70% of Canadians having received at least one dose.
There have been more than 1.4 million coronavirus cases and 26,356 deaths in Canada since the start of the pandemic, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Correction: An earlier version of this headline and story incorrectly described Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's position on extending Canada's ban on non-essential visitors. Trudeau rejected the idea that non-essential unvaccinated visitors will soon be allowed in but did not provide a timeframe for vaccinated visitors. The story also incorrectly described the rules for self-isolation. Only unvaccinated travelers will be required to self-isolate at home until the results of their Covid-19 test comes back negative.