Canada announced that it will drop the mandatory COVID-19 pre-entry test for fully vaccinated travellers on April 1 — but they are still subject to random testing and will have to quarantine if they test positive for the virus on arrival.
Fully vaccinated travellers who test positive upon arrival must isolate for 10 days after the start of symptoms or after the specimen collection date validated by the test provider. They must also contact the Public Health Agency of Canada at 1-833-641-0343 within 24 hours.
Travellers do not have to quarantine while waiting for the results of the molecular test.
Fully vaccinated travellers who are not selected for mandatory random testing are exempt from quarantine but you should take precautions for 14 days. They should also retain a list of names and contact information for all close contacts and locations visited during this time.
According to the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), people who are fully vaccinated only need to self-isolate at home for five days or until their symptoms improve and they no longer have a fever. After this period ends, however, they must avoid non-essential visits to high-risk settings for another five days.
But Canada's federal rules override the provincial ones.
Entering Canada from another country
Some federal rules for quarantine and isolation after entering Canada are different from the provincial or territorial rules. In this case, you must follow the stricter rules.
For example, if you must isolate in B.C. after testing positive on your arrival test, mandatory isolation is for 10 days, even the province requires five days of isolation.
You should wait at least 10 calendar days after your testing positive for COVID-19 abroad because you'll be denied boarding if travelling by air. You could also be fined $5,000 (plus surcharges).
For example, if your positive COVID-19 molecular test was taken on January 1, then January 11 would be the first day you could use it.
