Canada to allow entry of travelers fully vaccinated with Sinopharm, Sinovac, COVAXIN

Special: Battle Against Novel Coronavirus

Travelers who are fully vaccinated with the shots from Sinopharm, Sinovac and COVAXIN will be allowed to enter Canada starting Nov. 30, the Canadian government announced on Friday.

Currently, Canada only accepts travelers who have received the vaccines including Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson &Johnson.

Also starting Nov. 30, people leaving Canada by land or by air for less than 72 hours will no longer be required to provide proof of a negative molecular test to re-enter the country.

This change applies only to Canadians, permanent residents and individuals registered under the Indian Act, as well as accompanying children under 12, and individuals with medical contraindications to vaccination.

Additionally, starting Jan. 15, certain groups of travelers who are currently exempt from entry requirements will only be allowed to enter Canada if they are fully vaccinated.

Those groups include individuals travelling to reunite with family, international students, professional and amateur athletes, individuals with a valid work permit and other essential service workers including truck drivers.

"With more Canadians getting vaccinated every day, we can move forward cautiously toward a more open border economy and society," said Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos. "At the same time, we can't let our guard down."

To date, the country has reported a total of 1,762,434 cases with 29,481 deaths, according to the Canadian government.