Canada is easing several travel measures on Monday for people entering the country.
But some rules remain, including the pre-arrival COVID-19 test requirement, which means returning home from abroad can still be complicated and costly.
Here’s what you need to know if you have upcoming travel plans.
You can now take a rapid antigen test
For the past year, the federal government has required that travellers entering Canada show proof of a negative molecular test, such as a PCR, taken within 72 hours of their departing flight or planned arrival at the land border.
Starting Monday, people can opt to instead take a rapid antigen test, which is typically cheaper (generally under $100) and more convenient, as results are available within minutes.
At a news conference last week, the government said the antigen test must be taken no more than 24 hours before travelling.
But it turns out that people have slightly more time: The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) confirmed on Friday that the test must actually be takenno more than one day before a traveller’s departing flight or planned arrival at the land border.
People must take the antigen test in the country they’re departing from, and can only use one authorized for travellers.
“It can’t be the take-home tests that we’ve seen here in our communities,”said Denis Vinette, vice-president of the CBSA’s Travellers Branch. “It has to be done through a lab that will give you then the [written] confirmation that you are either negative or positive.”
Calls to drop pre-arrival test
Despite offering a potentially cheaper option, the government still faces pressure to drop all pre-arrival testing.
“It’s so ridiculous,” said Dave Swidler, of Mont-Tremblant, Que. who’s set to fly home from the Hawaiian island of Kauai on March 14.
“Somebody who has had three vaccines and wears a mask and doesn’t take chances, making me take a test to come home and making me stress about it — why are they doing that?”
On Friday, several border-town mayors on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border held a news conference, calling for an end to all pre-arrival testing at the land border for fully vaccinated travellers.
Even when getting an antigen test, “you still have to go through the hassle of clicking the box, making the appointment, finding a pharmacy that is available,” Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said at the news conference.
“The need for testing at the land border is long over.”
Several medical experts also say Ottawa should drop pre-arrival testing, arguing it’s pointless now that Omicron has spread across Canada.
But the government says further easing of border measures will only come when pandemic conditions improve.
“We must continue to exercise prudence,” Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said last week. “Our fight against the virus is not over.”
What happens if I test positive?
The government has not eased rules for travellers who test positive while abroad.
Those travellers must wait at least 10 full days after they took their test before entering Canada. Infected Canadians won’t be turned away at a land border, but may face fines of up to $5,000 for defying the rules.
“There is still the risk — the real risk — of becoming sick while abroad and having to extend your trip, should you test positive for COVID-19,” Duclos said, speaking in French.
WATCH | Canada allowing travellers to take an antigen test:
Canada easing travel restrictions, dropping PCR test requirement
12 days ago
Duration 1:52
As of Feb. 28, fully vaccinated travellers won’t need a pre-arrival PCR test to enter Canada and unvaccinated children under 12 won’t need to quarantine. The federal government will also be removing the advisory against non-essential travel. 1:52
People who recently recovered from COVID-19 don’t have to take a pre-arrival test — if they provide proof of a positive molecular test taken between 10 and 180 days before entering Canada.
“The PCR molecular test remains the gold standard,” said Vinette. “In order to be able to re-enter [and] demonstrate the positive outcome of your test, you’ll need the molecular test.”
That means travellers abroad who test positive with an antigen test could face complications. They must get a second test to return home and if they opt for another antigen test, the results must be negative.
Norm Chew, of Toronto, had hoped Canada would drop its pre-arrival test requirement. Because that didn’t happen, he says he’ll likely cancel his family’s spring break ski trip to Vermont, due to fears of testing positive.
“If we’re positive, we have to stay out for 10 days, otherwise we could face the fine,” said Chew, who had planned to drive to Vermont. “Ten days in a hotel with four of us sick, no thanks.”
Other rules
Also starting Monday, unvaccinated children under the age of 12 entering Canada with fully vaccinated parents will no longer have to avoid schools, daycare or other crowded settings for 14 days.
And fully vaccinated travellers randomly selected to be tested upon arrival won’t have to quarantine while awaiting their test results.
Finally, Canada has lifted its advisory against non-essential international travel. Although the advisory was in place for most of the pandemic, millions of Canadians still chose to travel abroad.
EDMONTON – Jake Allen made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season and 26th of his career as the New Jersey Devils closed out their Western Canadian road trip with a 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.
Jesper Bratt had a goal and an assist and Stefan Noesen and Timo Meier also scored for the Devils (8-5-2) who have won three of their last four on the heels on a four-game losing skid.
The Oilers (6-6-1) had their modest two-game winning streak snapped.
Calvin Pickard made 13 stops between the pipes for Edmonton.
TAKEAWAYS
Devils: In addition to his goal, Bratt picked up his 12th assist of the young season to give him nine points in his last eight games and now 15 points overall. Nico Hischier remains in the team lead, picking up an assist of his own to give him 16 points for the campaign. He has a point in all but four games this season.
Oilers: Forward Leon Draisaitl was held pointless after recording six points in his previous two games and nine points in his previous four. Draisaitl usually has strong showings against the Devils, coming into the contest with an eight-game point streak against New Jersey and 11 goals in 17 games.
KEY MOMENT
New Jersey took a 2-0 lead on the power play with 3:26 remaining in the second period as Hischier made a nice feed into the slot to Bratt, who wired his third of the season past Pickard.
KEY RETURN?
Oilers star forward and captain Connor McDavid took part in the optional morning skate for the Oilers, leading to hopes that he may be back sooner rather than later. McDavid has been expected to be out for two to three weeks with an ankle injury suffered during the first shift of last Monday’s loss in Columbus.
OILERS DEAL FOR D-MAN
The Oilers have acquired defenceman Ronnie Attard from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenceman Ben Gleason.
The 6-foot-3 Attard has spent the past three season in the Flyers organization seeing action in 29 career games. The 25-year-old right-shot defender and Western Michigan University grad was originally selected by Philadelphia in the third round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Attard will report to the Oilers’ AHL affiliate in Bakersfield.
UP NEXT
Devils: Host the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.
Oilers: Host the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns, and Kareem Hunt pounded into the end zone from two yards out in overtime to give the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs a 30-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night.
DeAndre Hopkins had two touchdown receptions for the Chiefs (8-0), who drove through the rain for two fourth-quarter scores to take a 24-17 lead with 4:17 left. But then Kansas City watched as Baker Mayfield led the Bucs the other way in the final minute, hitting Ryan Miller in the end zone with 27 seconds to go in regulation time.
Tampa Bay (4-5) elected to kick the extra point and force overtime, rather than go for a two-point conversion and the win. And it cost the Buccaneers when Mayfield called tails and the coin flip was heads. Mahomes and the Chiefs took the ball, he was 5-for-5 passing on their drive in overtime, and Hunt finished his 106-yard rushing day with the deciding TD plunge.
Travis Kelce had 14 catches for 100 yards with girlfriend Taylor Swift watching from a suite, and Hopkins finished with eight catches for 86 yards as the Chiefs ran their winning streak to 14 dating to last season. They became the sixth Super Bowl champion to start 8-0 the following season.
Mayfield finished with 200 yards and two TDs passing for the Bucs, who have lost four of their last five.
It was a memorable first half for two players who had been waiting to play in Arrowhead Stadium.
The Bucs’ Rachaad White grew up about 10 minutes away in a tough part of Kansas City, but his family could never afford a ticket for him to see a game. He wound up on a circuitous path through Division II Nebraska-Kearney and a California junior college to Arizona State, where he eventually became of a third-round pick of Tampa Bay in the 2022 draft.
Two year later, White finally got into Arrowhead — and the end zone. He punctuated his seven-yard scoring run in the second quarter, which gave the Bucs a 7-3 lead, by nearly tossing the football into the second deck.
Then it was Hopkins’ turn in his first home game since arriving in Kansas City from a trade with the Titans.
The three-time All-Pro, who already had caught four passes, reeled in a third-down heave from Mahomes amid triple coverage for a 35-yard gain inside the Tampa Bay five-yard line. Three plays later, Mahomes found him in the back of the end zone, and Hopkins celebrated his first TD with the Chiefs with a dance from “Remember the Titans.”
Tampa Bay tried to seize control with consecutive scoring drives to start the second half. The first ended with a TD pass to Cade Otton, the latest tight end to shred the Chiefs, and Chase McLaughlin’s 47-yard field goal gave the Bucs a 17-10 lead.
The Chiefs answered in the fourth quarter. Mahomes marched them through the rain 70 yards for a tying touchdown pass, which he delivered to Samaje Perine while landing awkwardly and tweaking his left ankle, and then threw a laser to Hopkins on third-and-goal from the Buccaneers’ five-yard line to give Kansas City the lead.
Tampa Bay promptly went three-and-out, but its defence got the ball right back, and this time Mayfield calmly led his team down field. His capped the drive with a touchdown throw to Miller — his first career TD catch — with 27 seconds to go, and Tampa Bay elected to play for overtime.
UP NEXT
Buccaneers: Host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Darcy Kuemper made 16 saves for his first shutout of the season and 32nd overall, helping the Los Angeles Kings beat the Nashville Predators 3-0 on Monday night.
Adrian Kempe had a goal and an assist and Anze Kopitar and Kevin Fiala also scored. The Kings have won two of their last three.
Juuse Saros made 24 saves for the Predators. They are 1-2-1 in their last four.
Kopitar opened the scoring with 6:36 remaining in the opening period. Saros denied the Kings captain’s first shot, but Kopitar collected the rebound below the goal line and banked it off the netminder’s skate.
Fiala, a former Predator, made it 2-0 35 seconds into the third.
The Kings held Nashville to just three third-period shots on goal, the first coming with 3:55 remaining and Saros pulled for an extra attacker.
Elsewhere in the NHL on Monday:
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DEVILS 3 OILERS 0
EDMONTON, Alta. (AP) — Jake Allen made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season and 26th of his NHL career, helping the New Jersey Devils close their western Canadian road trip with a 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.
Jesper Bratt had a goal and an assist and Stefan Noesen and Timo Meier also scored. The Devils improved to 8-5-2. They have won three of their last four after a four-game skid.
Calvin Pickard made 13 saves for Edmonton. The Oilers had won two straight.