Canada To Have Short-Term Solution On Vaccine Verification At Border Soon - Trudeau

Muhammad Irfan Published June 18, 2021 | 11:20 PM

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th June, 2021) The Canadian government is on track to have a short-term coronavirus vaccine verification solution at the international border soon, while a more lasting solution will be unveiled in the fall, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday.

"In the initial phase we will be working with the country's quarantine adherence monitoring system] ArriveCan app," Trudeau told reporters, explaining that those arrivals to Canada will have to upload their proof of full vaccination to be eligible for the loosened travel restrictions.

This short-term solution will be rolled out in the "coming weeks," Trudeau said.

Earlier in the day, Canada extended the border restrictions that limit so-called non-essential travel to and from the United States through July 21, however, Public Safety Minister Bill Blair noted that the government will announce relaxed entry rules for fully vaccinated Canadians and permanent residents on Monday.

A more lasting solution will be unveiled in the fall, the prime minister said, mentioning that the Federal government is already working with the provinces, who retain Canadians' health records, on a national vaccination verification program.

Trudeau underscored the government's target of having 75 percent of Canadians vaccinated partially vaccinated and 20 percent fully vaccinated remains a prerequisite for reopening the Canada-US border, suggesting that the country is weeks away from hitting this target.

The prime minister also reassured Canadians who received at least one shot of the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine that they will not be disadvantaged by varying vaccine authorizations around the world, saying he hopes to resolve the issue in the ensuing weeks.

On a related topic of arrivals to Canada who have not been vaccinated with a Health Canada approved vaccine, Trudeau said the country's medical experts working to gather information about such vaccines and that Ottawa hopes to have a process regarding such individuals in place before the border is reopened to international travelers.