Yesterday afternoon, U.S. President Joe Biden announced updated travel restrictions in response to the emergence of the Omicron COVID-19 variant. These updates include requiring every international traveller entering the United States, by air, to be tested for COVID-19 within one day of their departure flight regardless of their vaccination status.
Currently, fully vaccinated travellers entering the United States by air are required to present a negative COVID-19 test taken within 3 days of boarding a flight to the United States. The new one-day testing requirement is scheduled to come into effect on Monday December 6th. The type of pre-boarding COVID-19 test remains unchanged. Travellers must be tested with a viral test that could be either an antigen test or a nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT). Rapid antigen tests will continue to be accepted.
At this time, no changes have been announced to the existing land border travel requirements between Canada and the United States.
The CSA is closely monitoring changes to border restrictions and will provide members with continuous updates as soon as new information becomes available.
