Canada To Reopen Its Border To Fully Vaccinated Americans

Canada will reopen its border on August 9, allowing fully vaccinated Americans to enter the country. International travelers will be allowed into Canada on September 7, as long as "Canada's COVID-19 epidemiology remains favorable."

Canada closed its border to non-essential travel in March 2020, just as the coronavirus pandemic was beginning to spread around the globe.

Canadian officials said the travelers must meet the following criteria to cross the border:

• provide COVID-19-related information electronically through ArriveCAN (app or web portal), including proof of vaccination prior to departing for Canada (subject to limited exceptions);
• meet the pre-entry testing requirements;
• be asymptomatic upon arrival; and
• have a paper or digital copy of their vaccination documentation in English or French (or certified translation, along with the original) ready to show a government official on request.

"To be eligible to enter Canada, fully vaccinated American citizens and permanent residents must have received the full series of a vaccine - or combination of vaccines - accepted by the Government of Canada at least 14 days prior to entering Canada. Currently, those vaccines are manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD, and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson)," Canada said in a statement.

Canada is one of the leading nations in vaccination rates, with over 50% of the eligible population fully vaccinated. More than 80% of the population has received their first dose of the vaccine and will be considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second shot.

While Canadian officials are planning to open the borders for travelers, they are still advising people to be cautious if they travel to other countries.

"While Canada continues to trend in the right direction, the epidemiological situation and vaccination coverage is not the same around the world. The Government of Canada continues to advise Canadians to avoid non-essential travel outside of Canada – international travel increases your risk of exposure to COVID-19 and its variants, as well as of spreading it to others," officials said.