Almost two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, travelling is about to become less restrictive for Canadians as health officials say the peak of Omicron has subsided across the country.
After officials vowed changes to border rules earlier in the month, the new rules announced in Ottawa by federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos officially come into effect on Monday. “It is time to adjust our approach,” Duclos said during the announcement on Feb.
15. Read more: COVID-19 vaccine and booster tracker — How many Canadians are vaccinated? Airlines and travel agents say bookings are on the rise as Omicron has begun to recede.
Reservations have been ticking upward over the past month, according to Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau. Bookings at travel agencies Flight Centre and Tripcentral.ca rose to between 40 and 50 per cent of pre-pandemic levels in the days leading up to last week’s federal announcement, and towered over numbers from the same time last year, when Caribbean flights were halted.