Recent weeks and days have seen a flurry of changes in travel restrictions and COVID status. Some countries have started declaring themselves COVID-free, while other places - like the US - continue to see spiking numbers.
So re-opening rules keep changing and are different from place to place. It’s a lot for our US and Canadian readers to keep up with.
Lynn Elmhirst, Producer/Host of BestTrip TV, helps you stay on top of the latest best practices for an informed traveler.
Europe and the UK
Everyone was holding their breath last week as the EU prepared to issue a list of countries on July 1st they decided had COVID under control enough in their own countries to safely enter Europe.
People began dreaming of Tuscan wine country, the museums of France, a Greek island vacation, a Danube river cruise…
For some, those hopes were dashed. Canadians are on the list of those free to travel to the EU, but Americans, for now, are not.
Canadians didn’t have long to celebrate. A couple of days later, the UK eliminated a requirement for travelers to quarantine on arrival from countries on its own new list. Neither Canada nor the US was on it.
Unlike the outright EU ban on travel, travelers can still enter the UK. But you must quarantine for 14 days, (as do British returning from any country not on that new list).
Note that in America’s own most recent travel restriction updates in June, the US extended its ban on travelers from the EU, UK, and Ireland (as well as China, Iran, and Brazil).
The US and Canada
For travelers returning to the US, the ‘CDC recommends that travelers stay home and monitor their health for 14 days’.
Canada’s approach to travelers from all countries remains a restriction on leisure travel, and anyone traveling for essential reasons must quarantine for 14 days immediately upon entering the country.
That rule, too, was set to expire June 30th. Canadians hoped by July 1st, they’d be free to travel to Europe and return home without restrictions. Those hopes were dashed as Canada’s mandatory quarantine requirement for all arrivals was extended another month.
The border between our two countries remains closed by mutual agreement with a very few exceptions. Although the closure is currently set to expire on July 21st, the consensus is that this travel ban will also be extended – for months to come.
Within our own countries, travel remains restricted in some cases to ‘bubbles’ of adjacent jurisdictions who have the spread of the virus equally under control. Puerto Rico (pictured top) will start requiring even mainland American travelers to present a negative COVID test from within the last 72 hours.
Tips for Travel 2.0:
1. Get a Mask
You’ve seen the sign: No shirts, no shoes, no service? Add masks to that list.
Jurisdictions can legislate mask use (the city of Toronto now requires masks in all public indoor spaces), and companies, from airports to airlines to hotels and stores, have the right to declare terms of service. That can include wearing a mask.
Airlines in the US and Canada may have abandoned their policy of keeping middle seats empty for physically distancing, but they ARE adopting strict mask policies - as a man on an NYC- Florida flight discovered the hard way when he was de-boarded for refusing to don a mask.
2. Follow the Law
Ignorance is no excuse, and web sites, border authorities and signs communicate regulations clearly.
Compliance is not an option.
Just ask the American couple permitted to enter Canada with clear instructions to immediately quarantine for 14 days. They were later fined $2000 CDN (nearly $1500 USD) after they were seen in public in several places around the Canadian border community.
3. Be Prepared for Changes - and Last Minute Quarantines
‘Be prepared’ is an essential rule of thumb anytime you travel. Now more than ever.
Make sure you have access to wifi and data so you can stay in touch with home, your travel advisor, airline and other travel providers, so if your situation changes, you will be quickly able to put together a new plan.
New outbreaks might arise unexpectedly. So you should have a plan – in both your travel destination and on return to your own country – in case you need to quarantine.
4. Use Only Official Information Sources
Misinformation and rumors can get you and others into trouble. Make travel decisions based on official sources, and be part of the solution by only sharing official information about COVID and travel, including:
For Americans:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/after-travel-precautions.html
For Canadians:
#PlanNowTravelSoon
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