Groups ask for plan that will facilitate safe restart to air travel between the two countries >>
Airlines for America and the National Airlines Council of Canada, the respective airline industry groups for their countries, have asked the Canadian government to create a plan that will facilitate a safe restart to air travel between Canada and the US. The call comes via an open letter addressed to three Canadian government ministers: those responsible for transport, health and public safety. The letter says the organizations are writing to urge the federal government to work with industry to swiftly lay out a clear plan for the safe restart of transborder air travel, based on the recommendations made in Health Canada’s COVID-19 Testing and Screening Expert Advisory Panel report released last week.
The letter goes on to explain that the Health Canada Panel report, prepared by experts in epidemiology and virology, calls for a variety of changes to Canadian border and travel policy. This includes:
- No quarantine for fully vaccinated travelers;
- An end to Canada’s hotel quarantine policy for all travelers;
- Reduction of quarantine for partially vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers.
The letter points out that vaccination rates have been increasing “exponentially” in both countries and that “now is the time for the federal government to engage immediately with airlines to deliver a clear road map and timeline to reopen the air border.” The two airline groups request that work on this road map be completed and announced before June 21 — the date when the existing Canadian border measures are set to be renewed.
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