'I'm not going back over for any reason': Maritimers react to upcoming change in travel rule
ST. STEPHEN, N.B. -
The looming end of pre-arrival COVID-19 tests for people entering Canada is a long time coming for some, and much ado about nothing for others.
In St. Stephen, N.B., the rule’s elimination starting April 1 is encouraging for area residents looking for one less barrier in doing cross-border errands. Other residents were less enthusiastic about the development, with one person telling CTV the remaining obligation to be fully vaccinated made any removal of the testing requirement a moot point.
Travellers crossing the border into Canada will still be responsible for having their vaccination status and other personal information submitted to the federal government’s ArriveCan app after April 1.
COVID-19 measures at U.S.-Canada land crossings have swung and varied on both sides of the border over the last two years.
In late 2021, rules changed to allow fully vaccinated Canadians to visit the U.S. and return without providing a negative PCR test so long as they were out of the country for 72 hours or less. The rule caused confusion for several travellers, and was short lived due to surging COVID-19 case counts from the Omicron variant.
In late February 2022, requirements were eased once again when vaccinated travellers were permitted to present a negative rapid test result, instead of a PCR test which proved to be more expensive and difficult to find.
The constant change in rules is part of the reason St. Stephen resident Rita Corbett won’t be heading over to Calais, Maine anytime soon.
“I’m not going back over for any reason,” said Corbett. “I can find everything here that I want to find.”
One of the three borders crossings linking St. Stephen and Calais had its operating hours reduced further on March 14.
The Milltown crossing is now open from 9 a.m. A.S.T. to 5 p.m. A.S.T.
The decision at the Milltown point-of-entry was made by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. In a written statement, the agency said 85 per cent of the crossing’s traffic was recorded during that time. The area’s two other border crossings will continue to operate 24 hours a day.
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