COVID-19 Entry Ban Order Corrections

Summary#

This is an erratum from the Public Health Agency of Canada correcting wording in the Minimizing the Risk of Exposure to COVID-19 in Canada Order (Prohibition of Entry into Canada from any country other than the United States), P.C. 2020-162 (made March 22, 2020). The corrections clarify which arrivals were exempt or prohibited and fix the order’s effective period (ending June 30, 2020). The correction was published on September 19, 2020.

What it does#

• Rewrites paragraphs 3(1)(n) and 3(1)(o) to clarify:
  • arrivals by aircraft count as exempt only if the flight’s scheduled arrival in Canada was no later than the day after the order was made; and
  • arrivals by vessel count as exempt only if the vessel departed no later than the day the order was made and its scheduled destination was Canada.
• Replaces subsection 3(2) to specify a symptom-based prohibition: certain listed categories of people are prohibited from entering Canada from countries other than the United States if they show either (a) a fever and cough, or (b) a fever and breathing difficulties.
• Adds subsection 3(3) to say that people in certain listed categories who seek to enter Canada for optional or discretionary purposes (for example, tourism, recreation, entertainment) are prohibited from entering from countries other than the United States.
• Corrects Section 6 to state the order’s effective period runs from the day it was made until June 30, 2020.

Who's affected#

• People who tried to enter Canada from foreign countries (other than the United States) during the period covered by the order (from its making on March 22, 2020 up to June 30, 2020).
• Airlines, ship operators and their passengers whose arrival or departure timing determined whether they fell under an exemption.
• Border and public health officials applying the entry rules at the time.
• If it’s unclear whether a specific passenger or trip met the timing or category rules, the erratum clarifies the intended wording.

Why it matters#

• The changes clarify which travellers were allowed in and which were blocked during the early COVID-19 border restrictions. That affects whether particular arrivals fit an exemption based on flight/vessel timing, health symptoms, or purpose of travel (like tourism).
• The corrected end date (June 30, 2020) makes clear this was a time-limited measure. The erratum mainly matters for historical records, legal clarity, and anyone reviewing decisions or travel rules from that period.