'It's just disappointing': Loosened international travel restrictions leave some Albertans wanting more
Newly loosened restrictions around international travel may have been welcome news to many Albertans, but as CTV News Edmonton learned on Monday, they also left some things to be desired for some families looking for an out-of-country vacation.
On July 5, fully vaccinated travellers who are Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or certain foreign nationals will be able to return to the country without the burden of a 14-day quarantine.
New guidance from the Government of Canada, announced on Monday, also allows eligible travellers to avoid taking a COVID-19 test eight days after their return, or isolating in a hotel upon arrival to the country.
TRAVELLING WITH CHILDREN
Currently there is no COVID-19 vaccine approved for kids under the age of 12 in Canada, meaning children younger than 12 years old would be subject to a 14-day isolation period upon their return to the country.
Unvaccinated children would not have to stay in a hotel, but would have to follow current COVID-19 testing requirements.
For those reasons, one Sturgeon County man chose to book a September trip to New York City with his wife, but not their kids.
Sean Gilfillan told CTV News Edmonton when he heard the news about Canada's loosened travel restrictions on Monday morning he immediately went online to book their flights.
"We would have 100 per cent probably booked something like Mexico, California, Disneyland, something like that, if we were confident that we could get the kids over and back without isolating," said Gilfillan.
"When's the government going to address the fact that I can't take my five and six-year-old across the border and come back without them needing to isolate?" he added.
On Monday, Canada's Health Minister Patty Hajdu seemed to anticipate the frustration.
"Undoubtedly this will be challenging for families who want to travel," said Hajdu.
'I UNDERSTAND THE RESTRICTIONS, IT'S JUST DISAPPOINTING'
Mark Kay and his wife took a different approach from Gilfillan when they booked a flight to California for January.
The St. Albert couple is hoping to include their kids on the trip, and have paid for them to join. They say they're prepared to cancel if circumstances around post-travel isolation don't change.
“I understand the restrictions, it's just disappointing," Kay told CTV News Edmonton. “How do you sit a five and a 10-year-old inside and say, 'You have to stay in here for eight more days because we went to San Diego?'”
OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER
One requirement, when returning to Canada, that will remain in place after July 5 is pre-departure and on-arrival molecular testing for COVID-19, even for fully vaccinated Canadian travellers.
The on-arrival tests which must be less than 72 hours old upon are readily available in places like California, but according to one travel insurance company that CTV News Edmonton spoke to, they aren't free for Canadian vacationers.
One COVID-19 test can be purchased in that state, in most big name pharmacies, and costs about $175 CAD.
“It shouldn’t be difficult to get a test to return home,” City of Anaheim spokesperson Lauren Gold told CTV News Edmonton.
As for tests for returns from New York, Gilfillan said he's still looking into that.
"Researching that this morning, before we booked our flights," he said. "It wasn’t clear to me where we’re going to be able to book that test."
The New York couples trip, Gilfillan said, will be a much needed boost to he and his wife's mental health, and he's confident they'll be able to work out those details by the time they need to.
All international commercial flights will continue to be funneled through the Montréal-Trudeau International Airport, Toronto Pearson International Airport, Calgary International Airport and Vancouver International Airport.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Dan Grummett
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
On federal budget, Macklem says 'fiscal track has not changed significantly'
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canada's fiscal position has 'not changed significantly' following the release of the federal government's budget.