U.S. COVID-19 vaccine requirements could bar some Canadian travellers

Vaccination requirements to enter countries like the United States could create problems for some Canadian travellers, such as those who received mixed vaccines.

Starting in early November, the United States will require foreign air travellers entering the country to show proof of full COVID-19 vaccination.

However, the United States hasn't approved mixing COVID-19 vaccines — and millions of Canadians have mixed vaccine doses.

“It's probably quite frustrating,” Steve Olmstead, CAA Atlantic's director of public and government affairs, said. “I've heard from a few people who have very specific plans. Maybe it is for work or vacations and so on. I really empathize with how frustrating it is when you don't get any answers to what you're looking for.”

Currently, the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) only considers people fully vaccinated when they've had all the recommend doses of the same COVID-19 vaccine including Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca.

According to its website, the CDC will only accept mixed doses of two vaccines in “exceptional situations.” For instance, that might be when the first vaccine dose is no longer available.

However, someone who has a mixed dose of AstraZeneca and an mRNA vaccine will not be permissible.

It's a situation that's worrying many Canadians.

“CAA supports a safer return to travel, and I think people recognize this because our phones have been ringing off the hook,” Olstead told NEWS 95.7. “Generally, people are calling us for two reasons.”

One of the reasons people are calling is for concerns about travelling, particularly in 2022 and beyond. The other reason is people are trying to reschedule their upcoming travel plans.

“Plan your travel as best you can knowing or acknowledging that everything could change,” he said. “In a lot of circumstances, certainly with vaccines, it's definitely changing no matter where you're going.”

He said people must exercise planning and patience when thinking about starting travel plans.

“I think as long as people keep inquiring, those answers will eventually come,” he said. “Certainly here in Nova Scotia where the government is talking about third doses for people who are immunocompromised or need to travel for work. Perhaps third doses will be part of the solution going forward.”

Olmstead added that anyone who is considering travel this winter or early next year should consider calling CAA or using a travel advisor.

Travel advisors will keep an eye on the destinations you're thinking about travelling to. That means they can notify you of any changes to COVID-19 related rules in various destinations and continuously check on the destination's situation.

He said anyone who wants to travel to the U.S. in the near future should give CAA a call since the company is set on creating a safer return to travel.

“At this stage, you don't want to just book something on a whim,” Olmstead said. “You want to work with a trusted travel advisor, and they can take you through every step of the process.”