Nova Scotia welcomes fully vaccinated international travellers starting Monday

HALIFAX -

Nova Scotia is opening its borders to international travellers starting Monday, based on guidelines laid out by the federal government.

As of July 5, international travellers who have been approved to enter Canada will be able to come to Nova Scotia.

Approved international travellers will not need to quarantine if they are fully vaccinated at least 14 days before arriving in Canada. They will also not be required to stay at a government-authorized quarantine hotel.

This includes business travellers who cannot do their work virtually, as well as visiting Canadian citizens.

All travellers must follow federal quarantine requirements.

"It makes sense to align our border policy with the federal government's for international travel," Premier Iain Rankin said in a release.

"The federal rules are the same as Nova Scotia's for fully vaccinated travellers and more stringent for others. This is another positive step in our province's cautious reopening strategy."

Travellers must still meet other mandatory federal requirements including pre-and on-arrival testing.

Nova Scotia is also encouraging travellers to be tested while they are in the province.

"As we continue to open Nova Scotia to Canadian and international travellers it is important that we continue to increase our protection by having all eligible Nova Scotians get two doses of COVID-19 vaccine," Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia's chief medical officer of health, said in a release.

"It's also important for us to maintain measures such as masking in indoor public places and physical distancing as we re-open."

All international travellers must complete the Nova Scotia Safe Check-in form. Only those who have been fully vaccinated can upload their proof of vaccination.

There is no change for anyone else entering Canada. They must quarantine when they arrive until they get a negative test result. Then they can enter Nova Scotia and complete the rest of their 14-day quarantine. A second negative test is required to end quarantine.