Canada expected to relax travel restrictions from India

To relief of the hundreds of thousands of travelers who are facing challenges in travelling from India to Canada, may soon hear good news to cheer about. As per the sources, Canadian government is likely to relax travel restrictions for travelers from India. Under relaxed guidelines, pre-departure RT-PCR testing of air passengers from India may be permitted at several laboratories recognised by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR).

Currently passengers are mandated to undertake pre-departure test only from Genestrings testing facility located at Delhi airport within 18 hours of the scheduled departure on the nonstop flights to Canada. Presently Air India operates nonstop service from Delhi to Toronto and Vancouver while Air Canada operates nonstop service to Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.

Another relief that’s expected is that Ottawa may do away with the mandatory requirement for travelers from India to be tested at a third country in case they are travelling through an indirect route to come to Canada. The present regulation needs Passengers who travel from India to Canada via an indirect route to provide a pre-departure negative Covid-19 molecular test result from a third country before boarding their flight to Canada.

The source aware of the developments said that announcement regarding new travel rules from Canadian government could come as early as within this month only.

If relaxed, the new rules will also save money for the travelers as air fares between India and Canada via a third country are much lower as compared to fares on nonstop flights, moreover travelers will be able to fly out from their own cities rather than coming to Delhi to take the nonstop flights.