The province’s top public health official says that Ontarians need to do their own “risk assessment” when it comes to travelling to the United States given the lower vaccination rates and higher case counts south of the border.
Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore made the comment during a press conference on Thursday afternoon.
The reminder comes ahead of a Friday news conference, where federal officials are expected to announce that they are scrapping the costly negative PCR test requirement for Canadians returning from abroad following trips of 72 hours or less.
The PCR test requirement is expected to remain in effect for longer trips.
“As soon as you go across the border to Michigan or New York you're looking at rates of illness that are five to six times higher than ours in Ontario and maybe higher in certain communities,” Moore said. “So if anyone's going across the border please do a risk assessment. Make sure that you're taking all appropriate precautions, that you're wearing your mask, you're performing your hand hygiene, you're distancing because the risk as soon as you leave and go to the United States is higher than what we're experiencing now in Ontario.”
The land border to the U.S. reopened to non-essential travellers on Nov. 8, however the PCR test requirement to re-enter Canada had served to discourage many travellers, particularly those only interested in day trips.
That is expected to change with the lifting of the testing requirement.
“If you are ready to take that risk on please go ahead but monitor your symptoms when you come back,” Moore said of people who do choose to travel to the U.S. “Even if you are two-dose vaccinated you can get COVID-19. It is a highly effective vaccine but there is still a small percentage (of people) that can get the virus.”
Over the last week Ontario has seen about 27 new cases per 100,000 residents.
In Erie County, which includes the border town of Buffalo, officials have reported about 15 times as many cases over the last seven days – 414 per 100,000 residents.
About 63 per cent of Erie County residents are fully vaccinated compared to about 85 per cent of Ontarians.
