Unknowns & Suspense with Canadian Travel Restrictions
Compulsory use of the infamous ArriveCan app may be suspended, but there are lots of unknowns (& suspense)
On September 20, there were “leaks” to major mainstream media outlets that the use of the infamous “ArriveCan” app, to report vaccination status when entering the country, would not be made compulsory from September 30.
Lots of relief is expressed on social media, as this app was largely seen as a key cause for long lines and other issues at airports. Refraining from using the app is associated with stiff penalties. For the non-vaccinated, the app is still today an enforcement tool for compulsory 14 day quarantine and regular testing. Canada appears to be the only country in the world left implementing such restrictive measures.
As we have analyzed at covexit.com, from the very beginning of the travel restrictions, it was known, because both vaccinated and un-vaccinated people can shed the virus, that the travel restrictions were going to be totally ineffective in preventing new infections in Canada.
Yet, the Canadian government held and continues to hold the opposite viewpoint, and is defending it very stubbornly in the context of 3 different lawsuits it is facing regarding the travel restrictions.
What has also been clarified, in July, is that the bureaucracy of the federal government never recommended the travel ban on the unvaccinated. This was admitted, under oath, in the context of the discovery for one of the ongoing trials challenging the travel restrictions.
This kind of interference from the politicians into the actual set of measures taken by the government is still not recognized to this day.
The federal bureaucracy in charge, called “Health Canada” claims to have taken a “comprehensive, layered approach to border management” and that those measures have helped “in the detection and surveillance of COVID-19 and slowing the spread of the virus.”
And the official position of the Canadian government, expressed by its prime minister, is that 80 to 90% of the population should get boosted so as to avoid restrictions such as curfews, lockdowns, etc. in the winter.
ArriveCan & Digital ID
The ArriveCan app is closely linked to the digital identity objectives of the Canadian government. From what “leaked” in the mainstream media, we already know that the use of the app will be made voluntary, i.e. will not be scrapped, meaning that it could be made compulsory again in the future. (with a next variant?)
The Canadian government digital ambitions were made somewhat clearer in a report mid-August, and it claims:
“The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for government services to be accessible and flexible in the digital age.”
https://mobileidworld.com/canada-quietly-announces-plans-for-digital-id-program-408151/
https://www.canada.ca/en/government/system/digital-government/government-canada-digital-operations-strategic-plans/canada-digital-ambition.html
The statement can of course be challenged big time, as what needed to be accessible for Canadians, from early 2020, was the early treatment of COVID-19, at home, in nursing homes and elsewhere, so treatment would have been given at first symptoms, and most hospitalizations and numerous deaths would likely have been avoided.
Early treatment was systematically repressed, and continues to be repressed, in Canada, with the federal bureaucracy taking an active role in this, with its positions taken against key medications, for which independent studies and experiences of numerous medical doctors internationally show benefits.
Source: https://c19early.com/
Early treatment is a topic that federal bureaucrats usually don’t dare talking about, even anonymously, as transpired from that recent report highlighting the ineffectiveness of the mass vaccination program and related measures, such as travel restrictions. No word about early treatment in that report.
This report is, however, important to read, as it shows what is the mode of thinking among at least some senior bureaucrats in Ottawa. A number of experts in the bureaucracy appear to not support the continuing official mass vaccination policy, as the report recommends against any mass vaccination approach for those under the age of 60.
What else do we learn from the “leaks” to mainstream media?
One is that the mask mandate, which have been lifted by about all countries in the world, will remain in force both for trains and planes, internally and internationally.
https://toronto.citynews.ca/2022/09/20/canada-covid19-vaccine-requirement-border-arrivecan-app/
It’s not yet fully clear if non-vaccinated foreign nationals will be allowed with the new rules. Currently, like in the US, foreign nationals who are not jabbed are not welcome in the country, similarly as in the US, with the notorious example of Djokovic being prevented to play the US Open because of his vaccination status.
Another point on which there is no clarity from the “leaks” is the mandatory quarantine for the unvaccinated? Will the authorities drop it, as in a vast majority of countries, or will there still be some quarantine requirement?
A point stressed by politician Maxime Bernier, leader of the People Party of Canada (opposition part with no MP elected at the most recent federal election) is that the timing of the relaxation of the restrictions may not be coincidental.
“The Liberals leak plans to drop vaccine border requirements on the eve of the opening of our court challenge, when the judge will have to rule first on a Crown request to drop the case because they say it’s become moot. How convenient.” he wrote.
And this brings us to a last point/question in our brief analysis. What will the US do? Most of the international travel by Canadians is still driving to the US.
Will there be changes to the US rules, so that unvaccinated Canadians can drive again through the border?
As “the pandemic is over” as declared by President Biden, let’s see if the Washington DC bureaucrats take action accordingly and open the US borders to the unvaccinated.
Yes, there are lots of unknowns. There is a lot of suspense.
Yet, it appears clear that we won’t see a full “return to normal” regarding air and train travel on September 30.