For travellers without symptoms of COVID-19 returning to Canada
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Organization: Public Health Agency of Canada
Date published: 2021-01-22
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You may have come into contact with the virus that causes COVID-19
Mandatory quarantine
The Government of Canada has put in place emergency measures to slow the introduction and spread of COVID-19 in Canada. You must quarantine for 14 days, provide contact information and monitor yourself for signs and symptoms as required by the Minimizing the Risk of Exposure to COVID-19 in Canada Order (Quarantine, Isolation and Other Obligations).
All travellers 5 years of age or older who arrive in Canada by air, must also provide proof of a negative COVID-19 molecular test. Those who do not provide proof, may be required to go to a designated quarantine facility or other suitable place as determined by the Quarantine Officer.
Your compliance with the requirements below is subject to verification and enforcement. Those in violation may face transfer to a quarantine facility as well as fines and/or imprisonment.
Some provinces and territories (see below) have additional travel restrictions (for example, no non-essential travel into the province, limited access to certain regions, etc.).
Your 14-day quarantine starts on the day you arrive
- Go directly to your place of quarantine without delay and stay there for the duration of your quarantine.
- Practise physical distancing of 2m at all times.
- Avoid stops and contact with others while in transit to quarantine:
- Use a private vehicle if possible
- Remain in the vehicle as much as possible
- Pay at the pump for gas and use drive through when you need food
- Wear a suitable non-medical mask at all times unless you are alone in a private vehicle
- You must report the following through the ArriveCAN app, online at Canada.ca/ArriveCAN or call 1-833-641-0343:
- Your arrival at your place of quarantine within 48 hours after entering Canada
- Your COVID-19 symptom self-assessment every day until the end of your quarantine
- If arriving by air and required to provide proof of COVID-19 molecular test:
- Retain a copy of the COVID-19 molecular test results
- Provide that evidence, upon request, to any Canada or provincial government official or to the local public health authority of the place where you are located
- If you arrived by air and refuse to undergo a test when it is required, you will be required to follow the directions of a Quarantine Officer and enter a quarantine facility or other suitable place for 14 days.
- If arriving by air and you were exempt from the pre-flight test requirement but you were instead required to have a test in Canada:
- You will be required to go to a quarantine facility or other suitable place of quarantine as determined by a Quarantine Officer while awaiting the test results
- You may be permitted to go on to your regular place of quarantine to complete the 14 days if your test comes back negative
- If you refuse to undergo a test when it was required, you will be required to follow the directions of a Quarantine Officer and enter a quarantine facility or other suitable place for 14 days.
A suitable place of quarantine is one where you:
- Have access to the necessities of life without leaving that place
- Have a separate bedroom if the space is shared with family/friends who didn't travel with you
- Can limit interactions with others in the household. If spaces, such as a kitchen, are shared:
- wear a mask if a 2m distance cannot be maintained
- thoroughly and regularly clean common areas after use
- Are not living with those at risk of more severe disease
- Are not in close contact with others who did not travel with you. For example, do not quarantine in:
- a group or communal living setting, including camps or student dorms unless the location is pre-authorized;
- a household with a large family or many people
- a shared small apartment or similar setting
While in quarantine
- Do not leave your place of quarantine unless it is for a medical emergency, an essential medical service or treatment, to obtain a COVID-19 molecular test, or it is pre-authorized.
- Do not have any guests even if you are outside and stay 2m apart from them.
- Use only private outdoor spaces (i.e. balcony).
- Do not use shared spaces such as lobbies, courtyards, restaurants, gyms or pools.
You may be called from 1-888-336-7735 or 1-888-200-4881 to verify your compliance during your 14-day quarantine. You will receive pre-recorded messages and email reminders.
Note that you may also be contacted by provincial or territorial authorities throughout your 14-day quarantine. If federal and provincial or territorial guidelines differ, you should follow the strictest requirements.
You must monitor your health for 14 days
If you start experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19:
- new or worsening cough
- shortness of breath/difficulty breathing
- feeling feverish, chills, or temperature equal to or over 38°C
- Skin changes or rashes (in children)
- muscle or body aches, fatigue, or weakness
- new loss of smell or taste
- headache
- gastrointestinal symptoms like abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, or feeling very unwell
You must:
- Isolate yourself from others immediately for a period of 14 days that begins from the time you have developed symptoms or tested positive for COVID-19
- Follow the COVID-19 instructions of the local public health authority (see below)
The 14-day period starts again if, during your quarantine period, you develop a fever and cough or fever and difficulty breathing, test positive for COVID-19 or if you are exposed to another person who exhibits signs and symptoms or tests positive for COVID-19.
For information on possible exposure to COVID-19 during travel (i.e. cruise ships, flights, public transit, etc.) or on risk factors for increased exposure and/or more severe disease, visit canada.ca/coronavirus.
To help reduce the spread of COVID-19
- Download and use Canada's contact tracing app (COVID Alert).
- Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol.
- Avoid touching your face.
- Cover your mouth and nose with your arm when you cough or sneeze.
- Follow all other public health guidelines in the area you will be visiting.
Public Health Authorities
Provinces and Territories | Telephone number | Website |
---|---|---|
British Columbia | 811 | www.bccdc.ca/covid19 |
Alberta | 811 | www.myhealth.alberta.ca |
Saskatchewan | 811 | www.saskhealthauthority.ca |
Manitoba | 1-866-626-4862 |
https://manitoba.ca/covid19/restartmb/prs/orders/index.html#current |
Ontario | 1-866-797-0000 | www.ontario.ca/coronavirus |
Quebec | 1-877-644-4545 | www.quebec.ca/en/coronavirus |
New Brunswick | 811 | www.gnb.ca/publichealth |
Nova Scotia | 811 | www.novascotia.ca/coronavirus/ |
Prince Edward Island | 811 | www.princeedwardisland.ca/covid19 |
Newfoundland and Labrador | 811 or 1-888-709-2929 | www.gov.nl.ca/covid-19 |
Nunavut | 1-867-975-5772 | www.gov.nu.ca/health |
Northwest Territories | 811 | www.gov.nt.ca/covid-19 |
Yukon | 811 | www.yukon.ca/covid-19 |
For more information
- 1-833-784-4397
Toll free: 1-833-784-4397
- canada.ca/coronavirus
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