OTTAWA — The federal government has announced it will drop the COVID-19 testing requirement for air travellers arriving from the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong and Macao.

The move, effective 12:01 a.m. EDT on March 17, 2023, means air travellers to Canada on flights originating from the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong or Macao will no longer be required to provide evidence of a COVID-19 test result before boarding.

This also means that there will no longer be any federal COVID-19 border measures in place after that time.

The Canadian government put the temporary pre-departure test requirements in place in early January, prompting questions from medical experts and criticism from IATA.

“Canada’s COVID-19 border measures continue to be informed by available data, scientific evidence and monitoring of the epidemiological situation and response capacity domestically and internationally. In January 2023, temporary border measures were put in place to protect the health and safety of everyone in Canada. New data and evidence has now allowed us to end those measures. While this is good news, we need to remain vigilant. We should all complete our COVID-19 vaccine series and additional recommended doses, and continue to do all that we can to protect ourselves and those around us,” said Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos.

And Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra added: “Safeguarding the health and safety of Canadians is always at the forefront of any decision our government makes. While we are encouraged that the epidemiological situation has improved in both China and Canada, and that temporary test requirements for air travellers put in place in early 2023 can now be lifted, we know we must remain vigilant in the fight against COVID-19 and its variants. We will continue to make decisions based on the best public health advice and will adjust our measures accordingly to keep travellers, transportation workers and our transportation system safe and secure.”