After announcing just days ago that they would separate international arrivals based on vaccination status, YYZ and YVR both quickly reversed their decisions.
Open Jaw reported Monday that YYZ and YVR were implementing a queueing process for vaccinated and unvaccinated travellers on their arrival into Canada.
But barely had they made the announcement before the airports changed their tune.
“Toronto Pearson, in collaboration with the government and other partners, has determined that separation of vaccinated and partially/non vaccinated travellers in customs lines results in minimal operational efficiencies,” a statement from Pearson read.
“As such, the practice will be ceased as of 26JUL, 2021, with entry requirements based on vaccination status being enforced once a passenger reaches CSBA.”
The decision was initially made in order to streamline border clearance, given the different requirements for vaccinated and unvaccinated travellers.
YVR’s airport authority released its own statement on the reversal.
“[Effective] immediately, passengers entering Canada from the U.S. or another international destination will no longer be separated based on vaccination status prior to reaching Customs,” said Melanie Belanger-Finn, of the Vancouver Airport Authority.
YUL already had a trial period for separate queues at the beginning of JUL, and abandoned the concept immediately after it failed to produce the desired results, as Open Jaw reported. Currently at YUL, pax are directed to different screening areas based on their vaccination status after leaving the public area.
In Calgary, YYC never committed to separating arrivals by vaccination status, but with the whiplash-quick lineup policies being announced then reversed in other airports across Canada, nonetheless released a statement declaring they do not have separated lineups “at this time.”
