Sask. snowbirds excited to head south when U.S. border reopens
Nov. 8 is the tentative date for the United States government to reopen its land and sea borders to non-essential fully vaccinated Canadian travellers. The border closed in March 2020.
It’s an announcement Canadian snowbird travellers Duane and Christa Hayunga have been waiting for in Prince Albert, Sask.
“We were expecting the border to open in the summer once Canada announced that they were opening their border to leisure travel for Americans,” said Hayunga.
Hayunga has booked a spot at an RV Park in Mesa, Arizona and says he’s excited to drive there with his truck and camper trailer.
On Friday, the U.S. Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it will accept proof of vaccination from international travellers who received mixed doses of COVID-19 vaccines. It’ Air travel between the U.S. and Canada remained open during the pandemic.
Hayunga says they decided in the summer to update their COVID-19 vaccines to the brands approved in the U.S.
“We were watching that closely, my wife was a mixed dose vaccine person. I had AstraZeneca so we already each had our third shot. I don’t need to get the fourth it looks like, so I won’t be doing that,” said Hayunga.
He’s also checked with his insurance agent and says he’s got coverage for COVID-19 illness.
Canada opened its land border to U.S. citizens Aug. 9. Air travel between the U.S. and Canada remained open during the pandemic.
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said Canada can't afford to take any chances when it comes to COVID-19, so measures at the border requiring travellers to show a negative test result before re-entering the country will remain in place.
Conservative Member of Parliament for Prince Albert Randy Hoback is among a group of MPs working to reopen the border. He’s pleased the U.S. has move to open the vehicle traffic, saying Canada and the U.S. will continue to refine their policies.
“The testing requirement, we need to take a look at our processes and see if they’re actually redundant or needed, so there’s some things that need to be addressed as the date to opening comes closer,” said Hoback.
TRAVEL INSURANCE
Vice-president of products and founder of Goose Insurance, Pamela Kwiatkowski, recommends people carry travel insurance and read their policies to ensure it covers pre-existing conditions, emergency medical coverage and costs associated with COVID-19 illness.
“Our recommendation is to read the fine print,” Kwiatkowski said. “Covid is a risk, particularly for seniors so ensuring that your travel insurance plan has Covid coverage is really important.”
She says provincial health care plans don’t apply outside your province of residence, even in neighbouring provinces.
She say one day in the hospital in the U.S. can cost as much as $5,000 and travelers might want to consider insurance policies that include unexpected required quarantines.
“It’s not just the emergency medical coverage for Covid as well, what if you get Covid and you have to quarantine? Those additional meals and accommodations if you haven’t planned for that can become quite costly,” Kwiatkowski said.
Canadian air travellers still need to show a pre-departure negative COVID-19 test taken within three days of boarding their flight and proof of vaccination on arrival in the U.S.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.