Canadian Transport Minister Marc Garneau announced on December 31, 2020 local time that from January 7, 2021, all passengers over the age of 5 entering Canada must test negative for nucleic acid 72 hours before boarding.
The previous day, the Canadian government had announced that it would implement the provision, but there was no specific time for implementation at that time.
Garno said passengers must show the airline a negative nucleic acid test before boarding the plane. If the passenger fails to obtain a negative nucleic acid test before boarding, they can only rearrange the boarding time.
If the passenger boarding area does not have the ability to undergo nucleic acid testing, passengers are quarantined at government-designated quarantine facilities for 14 days after entering the country.
If a passenger violates the quarantine law, he may be sentenced to six months’ imprisonment or a fine of $750,000.
Regarding the government’s regulation, Mike McNaney, chairman of the National Aviation Council of Canada, told the media that the timetable was too tight.
He said, “We can’t determine which institutions provide nucleic acid test results that are credible, nor what style or carrier the documents provided by passengers should be. In fact, we don’t have any guidance materials.”
