Unvaccinated or partly vaccinated truck drivers from Canada will still need to quarantine when crossing into the country, that according to a statement from the Government of Canada.
In a news release, Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra and Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino stated, “On November 19th, 2021, we announced that as of January 15th, 2022, certain categories of travellers who are currently exempt from entry requirements will only be allowed to enter the country if they are fully vaccinated with one of the vaccines approved for entry into Canada. These groups include several essential service providers, including truck drivers. Let us be clear: This has not changed. The information shared yesterday was provided in error. Our teams have been in touch with industry representatives to ensure they have the correct information.”
Requirements for truckers entering Canada in effect as of January 15, 2022https://t.co/oO1I3CS7cL
— GC Newsroom (@NewsroomGC) January 13, 2022
This means, effective January 15th, that Canadian truck drivers will need to meet requirements for pre-entry.
“This final decision regarding entry and quarantine is made by a government representative at the port of entry, based on information presented to them at the time,” the Ministers say.
The United States also has a vaccine mandate that is set to go into effect on January 22nd.
Jean-Marc Picard, the Executive Director for the Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association expressed concerns saying it is unclear whether unvaccinated truck drivers crossing the border into the US will have to quarantine, or if they will turned away altogether.
He expects negotiations with the American Trucking Association will be ongoing over the next few days.
“There is a truck across the border every five seconds. Biggest trading partners, lots of goods coming and going to and from the US. Whether it is food or medical supplies or lumber, there’s huge volumes that are impacted by this. It’s a $650 billion dollar that is going to be disrupted by this mandate. We can’t afford that, and we can’t afford to lose any drivers. We can’t afford to shake up the supply chain because it is very fragile right now,” Picard adds.
He says trucking companies have taken great leadership and are promoting and educating staff on vaccinations, but the Association does not have the Authority to mandate anything.
Picard adds at last check around 85 per cent of the general population of truck drivers were double vaxxed.
