New testing and quarantine rules for Canada could be in effect this week

Transport Minister Omar Alghabra on Sunday told CBC that the new rules could be in effect by Thursday, February 4 and that Canadians should prepare for the new reality.

The government last Friday said that all international flights will be allowed to land only in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal, and that all passengers will have to take a PCR test after arriving in Canada.

Arriving passengers will then have to wait for test results for up to three days at an approved hotel. Trudeau said those stays will cost $2,000.

If a passenger tests negative they can go home for the rest of their 14-day quarantine, where there will be extended enforcement by private security firms. Anyone who tests positve will have to spend the rest of their quarantine at a government approved facility, the PM said.

Trudeau also said mandatory testing is coming to Canada's land borders.

The Liberal goverment shocked the Canadian travel world last Friday when it announced that Canada's major airlines are suspending all flights to the Caribbean and Mexico from yesterday (January 31) to April 30, which is a critical time of year for airlines and tourism in both destinations.

Trudeau said the deal was agreed to by Air Canada, WestJet, Sunwing and Air Transat.

Alghabra on Sunday hinted that long-awaited, sector-specific help for the Canadian airline industry could be on the way.

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Transat on Friday issued the following statement:

On January 29, the Canadian government announced new measures for travellers to prevent the spread of COVID-19. These include the introduction of mandatory COVID-19 testing upon arrival in Canada and new quarantine rules, on top of the measures already in place.

Following measures announced by the Canadian government, we are suspending our regular operations from January 29 to April 30, 2021. Visit our dedicated page for more details on our repatriation flights.

Reports on the weekend said Transat will begin laying off pilots and other workers on February 11.

Air Canada issued the following statement after Friday's announcement:

"Air Canada believes a collaborative approach with the Government of Canada involving all air carriers is the best means to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, especially given concerns around the variants of COVID- 19 and travel during the Spring Break period. Through consultation we have established an approach that will allow us to achieve an orderly reduction in service to these destinations that minimizes the impact on our customers and will support important public health goals to manage COVID-19. System-wide the incremental impact on Air Canada's cash burn is not material given the already reduced levels of passenger traffic resulting from COVID-19 and travel restrictions," said Calin Rovinescu, President and Chief Executive Officer at Air Canada.

Following consultations with the federal government, Air Canada has agreed to suspend operations to 15 destinations beginning this Sunday, January 31 until Friday, April 30. To help ensure Canadians are not stranded abroad, Air Canada plans to operate a number of one-way commercial flights from affected destinations after January 31 in order to return customers at the suspended destinations to Canada.

Affected customers will be offered full refunds given the services are being suspended with no alternative available.

Suspended destinations include:

• Cayo Coco
• Cancun
• Liberia
• Montego Bay
• Punta Cana
• Varadero
• Puerto Vallarta
• Antigua
• Aruba
• Barbados
• Kingston
• Mexico City
• Nassau
• Providenciales
• San Jose

WestJet issued the following statement:

The WestJet Group today announced it would temporarily cease international flying to 14 sun destinations in Mexico and the Caribbean in response to a request from the Government of Canada.

"The government asked, and we agreed," said Ed Sims, WestJet President and CEO. "While we know that air travel is responsible for less than two per cent of cases since the start of the crisis, and even less today, we recognize the Government of Canada's ask is a precautionary measure. We also note that the overwhelming majority of quarantine exemptions, well over 90 per cent in fact, are connected to land borders and not air travel. We have responded to their request and will suspend service to destinations in Mexico and the Caribbean."

Effective Sunday, January 31 at 12:01 a.m. ET, WestJet will suspend southbound operations to the following destinations until April 30. Over the subsequent two weeks, WestJet will work to bring our guests already in destination back to Canada.

Vancouver – Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Vancouver – Cancun, Mexico
Vancouver – Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Calgary – Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Calgary – Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Calgary – Cancun, Mexico,
Calgary – Liberia, Costa Rica
Edmonton – Cancun, Mexico
Edmonton – Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Toronto – Cancun, Mexico
Toronto – Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
Toronto – Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Toronto – Kingston, Jamaica
Toronto – Montego Bay, Jamaica
Toronto – Liberia, Costa Rica
Toronto – Varadero, Cuba
Toronto – Saint Lucia
Toronto – Saint Marten
Toronto – Nassau, Bahamas
Toronto – Bermuda
Edmonton – Mazatlan, Mexico (Swoop)
Edmonton – Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (Swoop)
Toronto – Montego Bay, Jamaica (Swoop)
Toronto – Cancun, Mexico (Swoop)

Through its Safety Above All program, the WestJet Group has implemented extensive safety measures since the start of the pandemic and as a result, there have been no documented cases of person-to-person transmission onboard the airline's flights.

"The pandemic has had devastating impacts on our hard-working people, and they have made tremendous sacrifices throughout," continued Sims. "The government recognizes how uniquely hard hit our industry has been and has acknowledged our efforts to curb the spread of the virus. We note their words of support for our airline as a strong partner in the fight against COVID-19."

For guests with travel booked during the impacted period, WestJet will proactively notify them of their options.