BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) "The talk around town is that the vaccine mandate will end for international travelers as well as the random testing requirement." Border attorney Jamie Fiegel discussing reports out of Ottawa that Covid restrictions may be going away as soon as Friday, September 30.
"The ArriveCan App would no longer be needed. The vaccine requirement would no longer be in effect. And there would no longer be a random testing requirement for travelers entering the country. Pretty much everything at the border would be eliminated," said Fiegel.
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Brian Lilley, columnist with the Toronto Sun broke the story this week. "This is coming from industry and government sources," Lilley told WBEN. "It's something that local officials have been calling for, for some time."
The legal footing for the mandates expire on September 30, unless the government extends it. Lilley said his understanding is that officials will let it lapse at month's end.
"If those mandates go away, the ArriveCan App would no longer be needed, because it would not be utilized any longer as a vaccine screening tool. In essence," Fiegel said, "things go back to normal."
Fiegel was asked if this would be done in conjunction with the US, since the US also has a vaccine requirement to enter the country.
"I have not heard anything about eliminating the requirement on the US side.
Nor have I heard of a unilateral response to this on September 30th."
Fiegel noting the US has scaled back it's vaccine mandate, giving more groups exempt status. But for business or pleasure travelers, it is still in effect as of now.
Two and a half years into the pandemic, the lifting of mandates in Canada would mark a milestone. It would be the first time since March of 2020, that unvaccinated foreigners would be allowed into Canada.
"This is multi-faceted," added Fiegel. "There is pressure from border groups. There is pressure from inside the government. There are also lawsuits going on. There are many factors pressuring the government right now to eliminate them and Canadians are overwhelmingly in favor of lifting the restrictions and getting back to normal."
Fiegel is a cross border traveler. She lives in Canada with her family and works in Buffalo. She said life in southern Ontario is relatively business as usual these days. "I can't point to anything that is different between Canada and the US. Everything is pretty much equal. There is still a mask mandate in Canadian airports, but that is scheduled to be eliminated as of September 30th as well."