The Center For Disease Control (CDC) has updated its travel warning for Canada to include vaccinated travelers over concerns of the new Covid-19 variants spreading in the country.
While the warning has been in place for months, it was updated to include vaccinated travelers. “Because of the current situation in Canada even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants and should avoid all travel to Canada,” reads the advisory.
The CDC states that if U.S. travelers must travel to Canada, they should be vaccinated first and follow all prevention protocols.
“If you must travel to Canada, get fully vaccinated before travel. All travelers should wear a mask, stay 6 feet from others, avoid crowds, and wash their hands.”
With over 1 million cases in Canada, the CDC is urging those in the U.S. to avoid travel into its northern neighboring country.
The border between the two countries has been closed to non-essential travel since the pandemic began in March of 2020. While the Canadian border remains closed for tourism, the country began allowing select travelers to enter the country back in October.
Although Canada has some of the strictest border rules in the world, it has not stopped Covid-19 from spreading in the country including a new outbreak in British Colombia of the highly contagious and more deadly variants. The variants of concern in B.C. are B117, first detected in the U.K., and P1, associated with Brazil.
Doctors say they're seeing a disturbing trend of younger patients with the disease between the ages of 20 to 50 requiring critical care.
Canada's Slow Vaccine Rollout
According to the New York Times, Canada's vaccine rollout has been one of the slowest in the developed world. With only 2% of its population fully vaccinated, the country ranks 43rd overall with vaccination rates similar to developing countries including Indonesia and Brazil.
USA Today recently covered the envy Canadians have over the United States vaccine rollout. “Meanwhile in Canada” has been trending on social media as Canadians continue to express their frustration with the rollout.
Conservative Canadian parliament member Michelle Rempel Garner took to Twitter to comment on the U.S. push to open up vaccination appointments to all adults. She also noted that the Oakland Zoo plans on vaccinating some of its animals this summer.
“Most Americans aged 16 and over will have access to a vaccine in the next week or two. In Canada, that milestone is far away. In fact, these zoo animals in the United States might have access to a vaccine before many Canadian adults will. That's how badly Trudeau has failed” Garner Tweeted.
Canada is by no means alone with the CDC's level 4 ‘Avoid all travel' warning. The Center For Disease Control rates over 150 countries at the highest warning level including Americans favorite destinations of Mexico Jamaica and the Dominican Republic.
Canadians have felt strongly about keeping the land border closed to the United States but it will be the U.S. that reaches herd immunity far before its neighbor to the north. Now the U.S. is likely to keep the land border closed to stop the influx of Canadians that would cross the border to receive a vaccine. Many states have opened vaccinations to all adults with no residency requirements.
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LeafsFan1989
Thursday 8th of April 2021
It's really disappointing as a Canadian. I am a digital nomad and want to get back travelling, but feel like it will be too much of a hassle before I get a vaccine.
Does anyone know if it's possible to get a vaccine passport if I get a vaccine outside Canada?
Kashlee Kucheran
Friday 9th of April 2021
There aren't 'vaccine passports' yet. There are airlines that allow you to upload your CDCnvaccine card, but that's about it right now, everything else is just conceptual. When people are vaccinated in the USA they get the CDC card you've likely seen people share on social media. You can read this for more: (Click HERE to read)
Liberty
Thursday 8th of April 2021
Bold assumption that anyone wants to go to Canada.
R
Thursday 8th of April 2021
Wow, this article is a gross over exaggeration. I live in Canada and neither I nor anybody I know has contracted the virus, and they are over hyping the so called “young people deaths!” The only youths who died were obese or disabled with pre existing conditions! The truth is the government is just holding us hostage until most of us take the vaccine. Which many Canadians don’t want to take anyways. Most of our deaths are in long term care homes too, so why should healthy people take it?
It’s ironic now that Canada is being called a dangerous country when we have a lower death rate than the US, but the powers that be will do anything to push that vaccine. And it’s just ridiculous to freak out about variants and pretend they’re killing youths en masse and that it’s more deadly when that’s blatantly untrue and they won’t even show us that stats to back it up or the full medical history of those who died. This is a first world country, you don’t need a vaccine for freakin Canada just lol at the fear campaign.
John
Wednesday 14th of April 2021
Get the vaccine!! We are VACINATED, both shots, no issues!
Witness
Saturday 10th of April 2021
@R, thank you for writing this..it is so relieving to hear someone else voice what I am thinking. I'm in Canada and I can't call what the government is doing or the 'information's in this article anything but b.s.
TorontoRSH
Friday 9th of April 2021
Note that the US has banned export of vaccine from the US to Canada, even if made by companies that have contracted with Canada to supply vaccine, so what Canada gets has to come from Europe or Asia, and Europe too has banned export of vaccine to Canada until their population is vaccinated. Don't blame Canada for its inability to get more vaccine... blame the US and Europe. Canada is working on getting vaccine made in Canada to prevent more of this sort of export control on vaccine that prevents companies from meeting their contracts with Canada on a timely basis. Note that US news does NOT cover this sort of restriction on vaccine export as it might upset some in the US.
Lee
Thursday 8th of April 2021
This is a pie in turdeau face !! First the Canadian going to USA to get vaccinated and now this. What a mess he has created. Elections have consequences