Answering questions on U.S. border travel

If you’re planning a trip to the United States during the fourth wave, you likely have questions you haven’t been able to easily find answers to.

From mixed vaccines to travelling with unvaccinated young children, we answer your pressing #PandemicTravel questions.

I am fully vaccinated with mixed vaccines. Will I be allowed into the U. S.?

On Friday, U.S. officials announced it would allow people with mixed vaccine doses to enter and would consider them “fully vaccinated.”

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is expected to provide a more concise definition of a fully vaccinated traveller in the coming weeks before the land border restrictions are lifted in November.

Currently, the U.S. recognizes FDA-approved vaccines, which include the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) and WHO-approved

vaccines, which include AstraZeneca.

I have children under 12 who can’t be vaccinated. Will they be allowed to travel?

Yes, they can travel, but they’ll be required to follow all of the same testing requirements for pre-entry, arrival, as well as testing on the eighth day after arriving (unless the child is under the age of 5).

If the child under 12 is not symptomatic and is entering the country with fully vaccinated parents, step-parents, guardians or tutors, the child is not required to quarantine when they enter Canada provided everyone meets certain public health requirements laid out by the Minister of Health.

For the 14 days following entry or re-entry, the child must: limit contact with others, avoid anyone over 65 or with compromised immune systems, take a molecular test (and keep the results in case a government or public health official contacts you asking to view the results), maintain contact tracing for anyone the child has encountered. There is a fuller, detailed list of public health measures on the Government of Canada website.

Make sure to include unvaccinated children under 12 as travellers in your submission on the ArriveCAN app.

Do you have questions about travelling