Canada Releases New Mandate for Air and Rail Passengers

According to the announcement of the Canadian government, in order to travel from Canadian airports as well as on trains, the Canadian government will soon implement them to be fully vaccinated first. All travelers ages 12 years old and up and even those who are taking the federally regulated modes of transportation must also be vaccinated to be accepted to board. These new regulations include domestic and international flights that are departing from Canadian airports, marine passengers on cruise ships that go on a crusade for 24 hours and more, and rail passengers boarding on VIA Rail and Rocky Mountaineer trains.

For all the travelers who are in the process of getting a dose of their vaccine, the government provided a 30-day transition period for them to be able to adjust to the new mandate. For the travelers who are still unvaccinated, they must provide a valid COVID-19 molecular test that was taken within 72 hours of their departure for them to be able to board; emergency travel and those who are medically unable to receive a vaccine are the only exemption for this mandate. In the coming days, the Canadian government will further release other mandates that include other accommodations for all travelers coming from remote countries to make sure that they will still be able to travel for essential services.

The new measure is also extended to all the employees working in the transportation sector; this applies to airlines as well as airports including concession and hospitality workers, track employees, rail crew, railways, and also marine operators that have Canadian vessels having 12 or more crews. In connection to this, all of the mentioned employees need vaccination policies for their respective organizations as of October 30, employees who failed to get fully vaccinated will not be permitted to work.

An inspection will be enforced by Transport Canada to make sure that the new mandate is being followed, employers in the transport sector who failed to abide could face fines between $5,000 and $250,000 depending on the violation made. Currently, the federal government is generating a pan-Canadian proof of vaccination in concurrence with the provinces and territories. The said documents are anticipated to be available in digital formats however there is no specific timeline of its availability.