In addition to the requirement for unvaccinated individuals who are 12 years of age and older to quarantine for 14 days upon return from international travel, the Federal Government has put restrictions in place for unvaccinated children and youth who travel outside of Canada.
The restrictions as of Dec. 14, 2021 are below:
Unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated children under 12 years of age
If you qualify as a fully vaccinated traveller, your unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated children must follow specific requirements when you return to or enter Canada. This applies to unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated children under 12 years of age who are accompanying a parent, step-parent, guardian or tutor who qualified as a fully vaccinated traveller when they entered Canada.
These requirements also apply if you are returning from a short trip of less than 72 hours.
Unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated children under 12 must complete pre-entry, arrival and Day-8 tests, unless you have evidence that the child had a positive COVID-19 test taken 14 to 180 days prior to arrival in Canada or the child is under 5 years of age.
For the next 14 days, the children must also:
- not attend school, camp, team sports or daycare
- not attend large or crowded settings, indoors or outdoors, such as an amusement park or sporting event
- not take buses, subways, trains or other crowded transportation
- not attend a setting where they may have contact with vulnerable people (e.g. long term care facility), including people who are immunocompromised, regardless of that person’s vaccination status or public health measures
- stay in a place that allows the child to avoid all contact with any person that:
- has an underlying medical condition that makes the person susceptible to complications related to COVID-19
- has a compromised immune system from a medical condition or treatment; or
- is 65 years of age or older
- limit contact with others:
- remain with their fully vaccinated parent or guardian, as much as possible
- wear a mask and physically distance when in contact with non-household members
What your child can do for the next 14 days, as long as they wear a mask and physically distance from non-household members:
- visit uncrowded public settings such as parks, beaches or going for a walk
- gather with a small group of people from outside the household who are all known to be fully vaccinated
- take uncrowded public transportation such as a taxi, or rideshare provided masks are worn at all times by all parties
- accompany you to essential settings such as a grocery store or pharmacy
For 14 days following entry into Canada, you and any unvaccinated children under the age of 12 who travelled with you must:
- maintain a list of the names and contact information of each person with whom the child came into close contact and a list of locations visited
- wear a well-constructed, well-fitting mask in public settings
- keep a copy of the following and provide them on request to the Government of Canada or government of the province or territory where you are located, or to the local public health authority:
- all COVID-19 pre-arrival test results
- all on-arrival COVID-19 test results
- monitor for signs and symptoms of COVID-19. If the child develops signs or symptoms or tests positive for COVID-19, you must immediately:
- isolate them for 10 days in a designated area of the home that can ensure minimal contact with other household members
- contact the appropriate public health authority, as specified below, and follow their instructions
- report it immediately to the Public Health Agency of Canada by calling 1-833-641-0343. A Public Health Agency of Canada official will provide you with additional details and instructions
- follow all local public health requirements
If the child receives an indeterminate or invalid test result, they are required to take another test. Please contact your testing provider within 24 hours of receiving your test result to make arrangements to complete another self-swab kit.
Youth aged 12 to 17 years of age
Unvaccinated and partially vaccinated youth 12 to 17 years of age are subject to the 14-day quarantine, and all testing requirements for pre-entry, arrival and Day-8 tests, whether or not they are accompanied by travellers who qualify as a fully vaccinated traveller
As this information may change, parents and school leaders are advised to visit https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/travel-restrictions/covid-vaccinated-travellers-entering-canada#children for the latest rules.