Travel to Canada this June?

April 21, 2021 8:00 PM

It's our 25th anniversary, and we would like to go from New England to Montreal in early June. Is the mandatory quarantine, and the ban on casual travel, likely to be lifted by then?

Ban on non-essential travel to Canada & quarantine details (updated April 13, 2021): https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/health-safety/travel-health-notices/221

We will get our second shot this month, but will Canada's policy change?

posted by wenestvedt to Travel & Transportation around Montreal, QC (18 answers total)

It might be important to note that while you get your second dose this month, Canadians probably won't be fully vaccinated by that time. At the moment, the first and second shots are spaced out by 16 weeks in Canada. That might change, it might not.
posted by VirginiaPlain at 8:08 PM on April 21, 2021 [6 favorites]

As a Canadian, if I had to guess, I'm going to say no. We were doing better then the US up to about December, but have fallen way behind and things are getting out of control here now.

So I don't see it happening before September for a couple reasons:

Reason 1: Even if the US is reaching full vaccination by June it's very likely that Canada will be so far behind that it probably won't make sense for the US government to want to open the border with Canada.

Reason 2: Until we catch up on vaccination anything that seems like loosening restrictions (even things that make sense, like opening up to countries that have hypothetically finished vaccinating their residents by then) would be political suicide for the Canadian Federal government. It's *always* safe for any/all parties to be subtly anti-American in Canada, so we're not going to open the border to those crazy American's until we get our act together up here, even if that doesn't make any dang sense. (Sorry.)
posted by tiamat at 8:09 PM on April 21, 2021 [16 favorites]

I'm hearing dismaying reports from Canada on their vax progress (as of last week) and would not make plans for travel there this summer based on the reports from friends there. Others may have different data.
posted by fingersandtoes at 8:09 PM on April 21, 2021 [2 favorites]

Not a chance. Please, stay away.
posted by bkpiano at 8:13 PM on April 21, 2021 [9 favorites]

Also keep in mind Quebec has gone completely mad, and currently has a curfew in effect from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. in Montreal (and 9:30 p.m. to 5 a.m most other places).

So while you could fly in (the border isn't all that closed, really) what on earth would you do when you got there?
posted by tiamat at 8:13 PM on April 21, 2021 [8 favorites]

Nope.

I cannot overstate this: it is a shit show up here.
posted by stray at 8:40 PM on April 21, 2021 [14 favorites]

The border is closed until late May. I doubt it will open up any time soon after that.
posted by sardonyx at 9:02 PM on April 21, 2021 [4 favorites]

Montréal will (hopefully) be a great destination for your 26th anniversary.
posted by Superilla at 9:03 PM on April 21, 2021 [10 favorites]

Canadian here. Please don't count on this being an option. We are in a bad place right now in a lot of the country. Its not going to be magically better in 6 weeks. I’m not even allowed to leave my region for non essential travel for at least a month.
posted by cgg at 11:50 PM on April 21, 2021 [4 favorites]

Best answer: Probably not. And its a bit of a slap in the face to all of us up here who are still completely locked down.

Please don't come up here just because you are fully vaccinated and that makes it okay somehow. We are not. Variants are rampant. Recent reports are showing that most of our cases have been coming from the US, and as a result we do not want that border opened any time soon.

I am asking you kindly not to come to Canada right now.
posted by dazedandconfused at 4:38 AM on April 22, 2021 [13 favorites]

Best answer: Please don't. I work in Ontario healthcare right now and it's a shitshow all over the place. We are way behind in vaccinating our population in anything like a reasonable manner, and Quebec is no better. The borders are closed for a reason and I agree with posters above that coming up here if you've been lucky enough to get all your shots is kind of crappy. (Listen, we all want to travel right now and if you're not engaging in work travel, it's an unintended insult to all of us who just want our situation to stablize.)

So please come for your 26th anniversary. But now is really not a good time.
posted by Kitteh at 5:13 AM on April 22, 2021 [4 favorites]

American living in Canada and all I can tell you is PLEASE STAY AWAY. Canada does not have the vaccine production and distribution infrastructure of the US and that is a part of why it's falling behind. My in-laws (60+ in age) were fortunate to finally get their first vaccine doses this month but their second doses aren't scheduled until at least August(!). That should tell you something.

Even if you're both fully vaccinated, I highly doubt they would make an exception for non-essential travel. Canada will be lucky if everyone is fully vaccinated by winter and I don't foresee the border reopening before then.
posted by nightrecordings at 5:33 AM on April 22, 2021 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: OK, I have to apologize for asking such an insensitive question. I have concentrated so closely on my own hometown and state that I lost sight of how things are going elsewhere.

Canadians, it sounds terrible, and I offer you every sympathy.

Almost every bit of Canada that I have visited or driven through of flown over has been lovely, and so are the people. From Lake of the Woods, to Quebec & the St. Laurence, to Montreal, to Ontario's Red Lake, and all points in between, I have only been delighted by my time there.

I hope to come back soon when you are all healthy, and join you in celebrating everything your country has to offer. Take care.
posted by wenestvedt at 5:43 AM on April 22, 2021 [25 favorites]

It's okay, please do come back later - we will need the tourism to rebuild, just not this summer. :)

For time frames.. I got my first shot last week, as I live and work in a hot spot and Am Old, and my second shot is scheduled for...August 6. And I'm fortunate to where I landed in the queue. A lot of this is structural with supply and the rest is due to idiotic leadership. Don't feel bad you thought we would be doing better, we should be, particularly with respect to the second.
posted by warriorqueen at 6:10 AM on April 22, 2021 [1 favorite]

To illustrate the difference in vaccine timelines, June 24 is the official goal date for Quebec for offering first vaccinations for all adults who want one, and they're planning to do all second shots 4 months after the first.

While we are starting to catch up on vaccines now that the supply is improving, we still won't be in a great place by June and almost nobody will be fully vaccinated for many months yet. I live near Montreal and my age 60+ relatives are just starting to get their first vaccine in the last few weeks.
posted by randomnity at 6:11 AM on April 22, 2021 [2 favorites]

Best answer: The U.S. State department has issued a level 4 Do Not Travel advisory for Canada.
It is dated April 20 .

Level 4 – Do Not Travel: This is the highest advisory level due to greater likelihood of life-threatening risks.

This might have implications for travel or medical insurance, so it's something else to consider.

And yeah there's not a hope for us opening up in early June.
posted by yyz at 7:34 AM on April 22, 2021 [2 favorites]

My 60+ parents live in Canada, my dad has a compromised immune system, and they were both just eligible for their first shots this month, and don't know when their second shots will be. I, a healthy 30-something SAHM in the states have my second vaccine scheduled at the end of the month. I have a nearly 1 year old they haven't met in person yet, and a sibling of mine in my state also has a new baby. They so, so want to travel to see us, or us to see them, but can't right now because of the pandemic situation. My son will be walking long before my parents can meet him in person.
posted by abeja bicicleta at 12:07 PM on April 22, 2021 [1 favorite]

Mr. Dash and I are aching to go visit our favorite place, in BC, in summer. So we've been keeping a close eye on things in Canada. Which are very bad right now, and it seems like Canada is very behind on the vaccination front, and there's just no chance they open the border until ... fall at the very earliest? We've concluded that we'll look very forward to it next year.

Best wishes, Canadians.
posted by Dashy at 12:40 PM on April 22, 2021