The Canadian government is allowing travelers who have been vaccinated for COVID-19 entering the country via land borders a one-time exemption from quarantine, testing and fines if they do not enter their information on the ArriveCan app. However, Canada Border Services Agency emphasizes that use of the digital tool – whether through the app or website – remains mandatory. Those granted the exemption must still provide their public health information to a border services officer. “The exemption is in place to inform travelers of the requirement to complete their ArriveCan reports,” CBSA spokeswoman Rebecca Purdy said in an e-mail to The Globe and Mail. “All travelers using this one-time waiver will receive information explaining their mandatory responsibilities at ArriveCan for future border crossings and will be required to present proof of vaccination and public health information to the border services officer upon entry.” The CBSA quietly began offering the exemptions to vaccinated Canadian citizens, permanent residents and people registered under the Indian Right of Entry Act in May, extending it to vaccinated foreign nationals on July 29. After the exemption is used, vaccinated Canadian citizens, permanent residents and persons registered under the Indian Act who do not submit their information through ArriveCan will be subject to quarantine, testing and possible fines. Foreign nationals who do not submit their information to the application on subsequent trips will not be allowed to enter Canada. Limited exceptions may be granted to individuals with accessibility needs (such as cognitive or physical disabilities that make them unable to use the Site or App), inadequate infrastructure (such as censorship in a country or nationwide internet connectivity issues), or service interruptions; such as from natural disasters. From May 24 to August 4, 308,800 of the 5,086,187 land border travelers eligible for entry – 6 per cent – were exempted, Ms Purdy said. The federal government launched the app on April 29, 2020, and began mandating its use for air travelers in November, extending it to all travelers by February 2021. The government said the required information — such as a quarantine plan and communication and travel information – is essential to reduce the spread of COVID-19. In recent months, the app has been criticized by some travelers and border officials, as well as privacy and public health experts, who say it has contributed to border delays and raised issues of good governance and oversight while providing limited public health avail. Matt Malone, an assistant professor at Thompson Rivers University School of Law whose research focuses on trade secret and confidential information law, said a major concern is the government’s decision to designate parts of the app as a trade secret and block the app’s source code from disclosure, preventing the public from understanding how it works. “The government had previously designed and developed health measures at scale in the form of open source applications,” he said. “One of the things that is particularly concerning about ArriveCan, from a privacy and data collection perspective, is that nothing about the app is transparent.” Mr Malone pointed to a problem last month which resulted in some vaccinated travelers who had submitted proof of vaccination and all other required information through ArriveCan being unnecessarily quarantined. The CBSA confirmed to Mr. Malone in an e-mail that about 10,200 people were affected. The app’s secrecy means the public can’t effectively audit it to understand why and how these faulty notifications were sent, he said. “For anyone who followed the [instructions from the] problem during this period, you follow an incorrect notice to stay at home or in the quarantine area. This, for me, leads directly to a violation of freedom.” The union representing border service officers says ArriveCan does not facilitate travel or improve operational efficiency. “Any border officer working on the front line will tell you that the implementation of the ArriveCan app has seen processing times skyrocket,” Mark Weber, national chairman of the Customs and Immigration Union, told the House of Commons standing committee on international trade. June. “When a port of entry used to process 60 cars an hour before, it now processes 30, if not less. At the land border, in terms of travel operations, this means that cars wait for hours and are sometimes diverted to another port further away. At airports, this means travelers pile up in and out of the customs area. In all locations, it translates into a frustrating experience for everyone involved.” Andrew Morris, a professor of infectious diseases at the University of Toronto, said the app has outlived its usefulness as a way to safeguard pubic health, telling The Canadian Press there’s little value in confirming travelers are vaccinated when there’s no requirement to be. the vaccines. to date or that the last installment is within five or six months. The federal government has signaled the app will remain in place for the foreseeable future, saying it “not only protects travelers but is part of our ongoing efforts to modernize cross-border travel.” The Morning Update and Afternoon Update newsletters are written by Globe editors, giving you a concise summary of the day’s most important headlines. Sign up today.
