Effective April 1, 2022 the federal government is dropping the pre-arrival COVID testing requirement for fully vaccinated travellers arriving in Canada.

The news follows widely circulated reports yesterday that cited sources close to the issue saying the announcement would come today.

Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos was joined by Transport Minister Omar Alghabra and Tourism Minister Randy Boissonnault for today’s briefing.

Said Minister Duclos today: “We are in a much better position now in March 2022 than we were in March 2020. We have more tools available now, like the wide availability of rapid test, and a range of treatments … we are now entering into a transition phase. Today’s announcement is encouraging. But I must also remind you that all measures are subject to review.”

Fully vaccinated travellers may still be randomly tested upon arrival starting April 1, however they no longer need to quarantine while waiting for the results. Unvaccinated and partially vaccinated travellers must still submit negative pre-arrival PCR test results.

All travellers must also continue to use the ArriveCAN app.

“Today is the day many of us have been waiting for,” said Transport Minister Omar Alghabra. “It is a great day for Canadian travellers, tourism and aviation.”

Minister Alghabra also spoke to testing requirements for cruise ship passengers, in the wake of the eased travel advisory for cruise ship travel announced earlier this month.

Cruise ship passengers will need to show negative results from a rapid antigen test no more than one day prior to their ship’s departure. However they will no longer be required to be tested again before getting off the ship.