Canada will open borders to vaccinated Americans soon

Nearly a year and a half after the pandemic forced Canada and the United States to close their borders, fully vaccinated Americans will have their chance to visit the Great White North.

The Canadian government announced Monday that fully vaccinated U.S. residents will be allowed to visit the country starting Aug. 9. Those travelers won't be subject to quarantine upon entry, the Public Health Agency of Canada said.

In March 2020, the Canadian government banned travel between the two countries, with a few exceptions, because of rising COVID-19 cases around the world. Patty Hajdu, the Canadian minister of health, said the declining cases in the country and rising vaccinations among residents gave the government a strong foundation to allow international visitors.

"Canadians have worked hard and sacrificed for each other, and because of that work, we can take these next steps safely," she said in a statement.

Americans who wish to travel to the country must be 14 days out of their second shot, according to the new rules. They must also submit their vaccination documentation and other information on the ArriveCAN website or app in order to get approval of entry.

A negative COVID-19 test is also required prior to entry.

If the health trends continue to progress favorably, the Canadian government will allow fully vaccinated travelers from other nations to visit the country.

For the last 16 months, the Canadian government has only allowed Americans to enter under certain conditions, such as if they had immediate family, were international students or worked in the country.

As of July 19, over 18.8 million Canadian residents were fully vaccinated, roughly half of the country's population, according to John Hopkins University's Coronavirus Resource Center. Over 161 million Americans, roughly half of the U.S. population, is fully vaccinated, the Johns Hopkins data shows.

Any American who needs help scheduling a free vaccine appointment can log onto vaccines.gov.