(Update: Canadian officials said on Thursday that unvaccinated Canadian truckers still will be subject to testing and quarantines upon return from the U.S, despite earlier statements made by the Canada Border Service Agency.)
Canada has reportedly scrapped plans to require Canadian truck drivers who aren’t fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to get tested and quarantine after returning from the United States.
The about-face happened late Wednesday, just three days before the requirement was set to take effect Saturday. Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated U.S. truckers will still be turned away from Canada beginning Saturday, a spokesperson for the Canada Border Services Agency told Global News.
The reversal came as industry groups continue to sound the alarm about vaccine mandates coming from both the Canadian and U.S. governments. The groups fear that thousands of drivers will leave cross-border trucking.
The Canadian Trucking Alliance had also voiced concerns that the additional requirement for Canadian drivers returning from the U.S. could lead to delays at the border.
Canada’s decision to walk back further restrictions on Canadian drivers has effectively bought them a week. The U.S. is expected to begin barring unvaccinated foreign truckers from entering the country on Jan. 22.