How to avoid mandatory hotel stay in canada
A quarantine hotel stay is not necessary if you arrive in Canada through land . Book a taxi pickup from Buffalo airport with us and we will drop you at any destinations in Ontario. By doing so you save lot of money by avoiding mandatory hotel stay.
Entering via land border
Pre-travel COVID-19 testing for land border entry
While there has been a pre-travel COVID-19 testing requirement in effect for individuals flying to Canada since January 2021, this requirement has recently been adopted for individuals entering Canada via land borders as well.
The land border COVID-19 testing requirement is similar to the requirement implemented for individuals flying to Canada. Specifically, all individuals five years of age or older that are travelling to Canada will now need to show results of a molecular COVID-19 test to enter Canada. The results of this molecular COVID-19 test must either show a negative result for a COVID-19 molecular test that was performed in the United States on a specimen collected no more than 72 hours before entering Canada, or a positive result for the test that was performed either in or outside of the United States on a specimen collected at least 14 days and no more than 90 days before entering Canada.
Please note that the type of test and the contents of the test results must meet the federal government’s requirements. The test results must be from an acceptable molecular test (ex: PCR or RT-LAMP tests), and cannot be from antigen test. A full list of acceptable tests can be found on the Government of Canada’s website.
The government is requesting that travellers make best efforts to have their test performed at a reputable laboratory or testing facility (i.e., one recognized by the local government or accredited by a third party, such as a professional organization or international standards organization), but specifically requires the following information to be included in the laboratory test results:
- Travelers name and date of birth;
- Name and civic address of the laboratory/clinic/facility that administered the test;
- The date on which the test was conducted;
- The method of test conducted (PCR or LAMP); and
- The test result.
Each traveler must have evidence of this test result when entering Canada unless exempted. There are a few narrow exemptions to this requirement, including but not limited to:
- Anyone under five years of age;
- Certain crew members;
- Emergency service providers;
- Technical stops/flights refueling;
- Certain individuals who are considered to be providing an essential service in the Chief Public Health Officer’s opinion or those whose presence in Canada, as determined by the Minister of Health, is in the national interest; and
- Certain government officials and similar.
If the traveller is not exempt from this requirement and they do not have a test then they could be refused entry, in the case of a foreign national, or fined up to $3,000 and face criminal prosecution, in the case of a citizen or permanent resident.
Pre-travel – quarantine plan
Prior to traveling to Canada each individual must prepare a plan for their mandatory quarantine and provide this information directly to the Government of Canada through ArriveCAN. There are limited exemptions from the mandatory quarantine requirement, but these individuals must still upload their contact information to ArriveCAN as well track any individuals (names and contact information) who they came into contact with during the first 14 days in Canada and all locations visited.
It is important that travellers who are not exempt from the quarantine requirement have this quarantine plan prepared prior to travelling to Canada or they could be refused entry or forced to complete the full 14 day quarantine period in a federally-designated quarantine facility. Individuals who are exempt from the quarantine plan should have proof that they are exempted from the mandatory quarantine.
When preparing the quarantine plan you will need to determine a number of factors including the address where you will be completing your quarantine, whether you will be able to access the necessities of life (ex: food, water, medication), whether you will be able to avoid contact with other individuals including those who are considered to be vulnerable individuals (65 years or older, underlying medical conditions, compromised immune system) unless they consent and whether you will quarantine in a group living environment among others. This information along with your contact information, date of arrival, port of entry of arrival, purpose of travel and whether you are experiencing symptoms must be provided to the Government of Canada through the Arrive CAN system. All individuals entering Canada should have proof of submitting this information to the Arrive CAN system prior to traveling to Canada. The Government of Canada has provided detailed instructions on the Arrive CAN process on their website.
There are also limited exemptions to the quarantine requirement. These include, but are not limited to:
- individuals, who in the Chief Public Health Officer’s opinion, are entering Canada to provide an essential service;
- individuals who are essential to maintaining the flow of essential goods and people;
- individuals who regularly cross the border to work or study;
- individuals entering Canada to become a member of a crew on a marine vessel; or
- individuals who live in an integrated border community among other exemptions.
While these exemptions are available, their application is fact-specific and are only applicable to select purposes of entry to Canada.
On arrival testing
In addition to the COVID-19 test that needs to be conducted prior entry to Canada, travelers entering Canada will now need to conduct a COVID-19 test on arrival to the country. The travelers will be provided with two COVID-19 collection kits, one to be used on the day they arrive in Canada and a second kit to use on day 10 of the 14 day quarantine. While there are some land ports of entry providing onsite testing stations, not all ports of entry will be providing these services. Instead, if you enter through a port of entry that does not provide these onsite testing services, the officers will be providing instructions on how to collect a nasal swab and how to send the sample for testing which you would need to follow when you arrive at your place of quarantine.
Travel to quarantine
Unlike arriving in Canada by aircraft, there is no requirement that individuals entering Canada by a land border need to stay in a government-approved hotel for three days. Travelers entering by land border can instead travel directly and without delay to their place of quarantine.
When traveling to your place of quarantine after entering Canada it is recommended that you use a private vehicle, remain in the vehicle as much as possible, and pay at the pump and use drive-troughs when necessary. Travelers cannot stop at stores to get supplies prior to arriving at their place of quarantine.
After entering Canada and arriving at their place of quarantine, all travelers must confirm arrival at the address provided for quarantine or isolation within 48 hours of entering the country. They also must complete daily COVID-19 symptom self-assessments for the duration of the quarantine/isolation period. Arrive-CAN is also used to submit this information.
The only exception to these post-entry reporting requirements is for those who are exempt from the quarantine requirements.
Contact Toronto Airport taxi limo at 1-855-362-0001 or +1 647-961-7362 for more information for Buffalo airport pickups.
