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Canada to open border to fully vaccinated Americans in August

Getty Images Travellers are seen wearing masks at the international arrivals area at the Toronto Pearson Airport in Toronto, Canada, January 26, 2020Getty Images
Canada's borders have been closed to nearly all foreigners since March 2020

Canada will open its borders to fully vaccinated Americans next month after a nearly 17-month closure.

The move to ease border restrictions comes after significant gains in the country's vaccination rate and a steady drop in Covid-19 cases.

If the virus progress continues, Canada will welcome all fully vaccinated international travellers by 7 September.

All travellers will need to present a negative Covid-19 test before entry.

The changes for American travellers and US permanent residents will go into place on 9 August.

The Canadian government first shut its borders in March 2020, barring entry to all non-essential foreign travellers with few exceptions.

Both the US and Canada also agreed to ban non-essential crossings along their 5,500-mile land border. The US has not yet said if it will allow Canadians to enter across the land border for non-essential travel.

Canadians and permanent residents were subject to mandatory testing and 14-day quarantine upon entry, including a three night stay in a government-approved quarantine hotel. Earlier this month, Ottawa lifted those restrictions for fully vaccinated Canadians returning home.

Travellers who have not received a full course of one of the four Canadian-approved vaccines - Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson - are still required to quarantine upon arrival.

All those entering will have to upload proof they received a full course of a vaccine at least 14 days prior to arrival to a Canadian government app. They must also provide a negative Covid-19 test taken within three days of departure.

A blanket ban on all commercial and private passenger planes from India will remain in place until at least 31 August due to ongoing virus concerns.

After a slow start, in recent months Canada's vaccine program has picked up speed.

Nearly half of all Canadians have been fully vaccinated, including 56% of those aged 12 and older. Almost 70% of Canadians have received at least one dose.

The progress in Canada has drawn contrasts with the US, where vaccine hesitancy has stalled total vaccinations at about 48%.