EU plans to shut door to Canadians

[Carolynleanne]

In case anyone was planning to head to Europe instead... this sucks

EU Plans To Shut Door To Canadians

 

[bcwife76]

Oh great, well that does not bode well for our August 2021 Northern Europe cruise Our PIF is end of April so there is still 6 months for that to turn around....otherwise guess we'll rebook for 2022.

 

[Where's Wall-E]

Case are quickly going up in many parts of Europe again, so having their borders closed (again) is not a bad thing. Definitely unfortunate for those who had plans of course.

 

[Carolynleanne]

Oh great, well that does not bode well for our August 2021 Northern Europe cruise Our PIF is end of April so there is still 6 months for that to turn around....otherwise guess we'll rebook for 2022.

August is a LONG time away. A lot can change by then. Fingers crossed this is just an 'over winter' thing and then cases will go down and the world will reopen

 

[hdrolfe]

I would expect such lists to grow and shrink a lot over the coming year as cases rise and fall. Sad for those who have plans coming up, hopefully by next spring/summer things will have settled down again a bit.

 

[bcwife76]

Yes it's definitely to be expected. We will all just keep truckin' on

 

[ottawamom]

The real question is: Are our borders closed to European travellers? or do they just have to quarantine.

 

[bcwife76]

The real question is: Are our borders closed to European travellers? or do they just have to quarantine.

They are closed to every nation for non essential travel.

 

[ronandannette]

They are closed to every nation for non essential travel.

Yes, and Canadians must quarantine for 14 days upon return - regardless of where they went. This factor alone makes international vacations out of the question for us until that requirement is lifted.

 

[TammyLynn33]

I’m not doubting it’s true I’m sure every logical country is looking at numbers and thinking but I don’t think we should worry about news reported from a source called openjaw..
Wait until mainstream reports the same ( and maybe they have ? )I just read the article and was like who ?

 

[SirDuff]

Switzerland already did last week.

 

[ottawamom]

Seems to me like everyone out there should just close their borders and get this thing under control. It's only when it's back under control that we can hope to travel once again.

I wlsh they would enforce the "essential" part of travel. Seems to me like a number of people are still going on "essential holidays". Really, just stay home and lets get over this pandemic first.

 

[efrant]

I’m not doubting it’s true I’m sure every logical country is looking at numbers and thinking but I don’t think we should worry about news reported from a source called openjaw..
Wait until mainstream reports the same ( and maybe they have ? )I just read the article and was like who ?

That website was actually quoting Bloomberg (and they included the link in the article): https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/eu-may-...rom-canada-allow-singapore-visitors-1.1510362

 

[Carolynleanne]

I’m not doubting it’s true I’m sure every logical country is looking at numbers and thinking but I don’t think we should worry about news reported from a source called openjaw..
Wait until mainstream reports the same ( and maybe they have ? )I just read the article and was like who ?

It’s a very reputable site specifically for travel agent news.

 

[Carolynleanne]

I’m not doubting it’s true I’m sure every logical country is looking at numbers and thinking but I don’t think we should worry about news reported from a source called openjaw..
Wait until mainstream reports the same ( and maybe they have ? )I just read the article and was like who ?

Here is your more official source

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/eu...bS6EDrQkWleelxSxnI9GjZq0ODSOzUhlnvMF8dMNawjFE

 

[TammyLynn33]

While I agree 100% I also feel like I’m at my breaking point. I’m sure I’m not the only one who is at that point. What is “ essential “ for one may not be for another. I know when there was a nail salon outbreak people were damn right cruel to those that went.
“ Holidays “ For me are a source of escape as a single mom .
I just think no one knows what someone is going through , what their breaking point is it what they need at that moment to survive. .. kinda the same as all the Halloween drama . I’m not judging but not participating.

Seems to me like everyone out there should just close their borders and get this thing under control. It's only when it's back under control that we can hope to travel once again.

I wlsh they would enforce the "essential" part of travel. Seems to me like a number of people are still going on "essential holidays". Really, just stay home and lets get over this pandemic first.

 

[nicmc1986]

They are closed to every nation for non essential travel.

Actually, this isn't true. People are allowed to enter Canada, even if non-essential, as long as they quarantine for 14 days. If they can't quarantine with friends or family, there are hotels set up strictly for this reason. People aren't travelling into Canada because of this restriction.

 

[bcwife76]

Actually, this isn't true. People are allowed to enter Canada, even if non-essential, as long as they quarantine for 14 days. If they can't quarantine with friends or family, there are hotels set up strictly for this reason. People aren't travelling into Canada because of this restriction.

No one is supposed to be entering Canada for travel. If you are coming for work or are a family member, they have relaxed the restrictions. But they are not supposed to be letting anyone in if their intent is to travel. If they are letting people in for travel or other non-essential reasons and they are not family then what the heck is going on?

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigratio...s-covid19/travel-restrictions-exemptions.html

 

[ronandannette]

No one is supposed to be entering Canada for travel. If you are coming for work or are a family member, they have relaxed the restrictions. But they are not supposed to be letting anyone in if their intent is to travel. If they are letting people in for travel or other non-essential reasons and they are not family then what the heck is going on?

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigratio...s-covid19/travel-restrictions-exemptions.html

Yes. Perhaps the rather lengthy list of exemptions leads some to believe there are no restrictions but officially there is still a ban on non-essential travel that hasn't changed since it was implemented in March.

 

[gypsy_at_heart]

While I agree 100% I also feel like I’m at my breaking point. I’m sure I’m not the only one who is at that point. What is “ essential “ for one may not be for another. I know when there was a nail salon outbreak people were damn right cruel to those that went.
“ Holidays “ For me are a source of escape as a single mom .
I just think no one knows what someone is going through , what their breaking point is it what they need at that moment to survive. .. kinda the same as all the Halloween drama . I’m not judging but not participating.

While I 100% see where you are coming from, I have to respectfully disagree. I think we need to maybe find other ways to find escape or manage our mental health right now.

I work in health care and I can't help but feel that whatever holiday you might take is not worth your life or the lives of your loved ones and whoever you might come into contact with. Yes, you may not get COVID. You may get COVID and be fine. Or you may get COVID and despite all precautions and good health, it could kill you. People often like to bring up that you could get killed crossing a street too, and yes, that's true. However, do you cross at a crosswalk in a safe situation? Or do you dash out in the middle of the street during rush hour? We're currently in the middle of a pandemic. It is rush hour. And every time you do one of these things you are running out into the middle of the street.

Just because we have to stay home and take precautions doesn't mean we can't find an escape or take time for ourselves in a safer way. I think we would all be in better mental health situations if, instead of focusing on all the things we can't do, focused on better ways to safely look after ourselves and give ourselves a mental break.

I'm a regular traveler myself, I usually take 2-3 vacations a year to often far flung places, and giving that up has been hard. But I keep reminding myself that this is not forever. This is a period of time that one day we will look back on as being so short in the span of our lives, and if anything I can do now to make sure as many people make it through COVID as I can, I feel like that's my social responsibility.

How about taking some time off and just relaxing at home? Do you have a trusted family member or friend who is part of your safe circle who can watch your kids for a few days while you relax? Or is there maybe time while they are at school where you can take the day off and just invest in your own well being? You could learn to meditate or paint or take time for yourself in some way in which you find value.

I recently took five days off, gave myself some at home fancy facials, painted, went for long walks in the woods and played with my dog. I also ordered take out every day to give myself a break from cooking and it still came in with a much smaller price tag than my vacations usually do. I also tried something new... I tried telephone counselling. Now I've never been a counselling type of person, but it really helped to be able to speak to someone who wasn't a close friend and was a professional and really unload.

I know COVID is hard on everyone and we're all just doing our best, but we've still got a ways to go yet and every additional case just extends the restrictions that are already weighing so heavily on so many people.