Canada, where 63% of the population is already fully COVID-vaccinated, is pushing harder than the USA in its campaign to vaccinate as many as possible against COVID.
The country announced last week that it will require all cruise, air, and train passengers to be fully vaccinated by fall.
The new requirement “includes all commercial air travelers, passengers on inter-provincial trains and passengers on large, marine vessels with overnight accommodations such as cruise ships,” Canada's transport minister Omar Alghabra said during a press conference.
The new policy will take effect “as soon as possible in the fall and no later than the end of October,” according to a statement from the Canadian government.
The nation’s flag carrier and largest carrier Air Canada released a statement in support of the mandate, calling it a “welcome step forward in the evolving measures to protect the health and safety of airline employees, customers and all Canadians.”
At a press briefing on Friday, August 13, Canadian ministers said that they wanted to “set an example” for other industries as the country tried to safely reopen more sectors of its economy.
There is no vaccination mandate for domestic air travel in the United States. US airline executives have consistently balked at mandatory testing for travelers let alone mandatory vaccinations.