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Unvaccinated students can’t attend school for 14 days after returning to Canada from international trip

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Windsor, Ont. -

The United States land border reopens to fully vaccinated Canadians for non-essential travel on Nov.8, but certain federal quarantine rules will still be in effect for those who are unvaccinated, including children not yet eligible to receive a vaccine.

Local school boards are working on messaging ahead of the border reopening so that parents can be informed before making travel plans.

A letter to parents from administrators at one local school reminds parents that “if an unvaccinated student has crossed the border for day-trips, sports, travel, etc., when they return to Canada, regardless if they have received a negative PCR test and have travelled with fully vaccinated parent(s), they fall under the Federal Quarantine and cannot attend school for 14 days.”

The Greater Essex County District School Board is still working on finalizing messaging. The Windsor-Essex Catholic School Board says they are also working with the health unit to provide information on the updated regulations.

The WECDSB issued a statement on Friday:

"We are currently waiting for more detailed instructions from the provincial government regarding any restrictions that may be imposed upon students and school board staff upon their return to Canada if they travel to the United States after the border opens on November 8. In the meantime, we would certainly recommend that parents do their research about current federal regulations before making any travel plans, and closely follow any guidance or restrictions they receive from the Canada Border Services Agency upon their return. We would recommend they use the federal government's COVID-19 travel page for more detailed information: travel.gc.ca/travel-covid"

Under the federal rules, fully vaccinated students would be able to return to school after returning to Canada with a negative PCR test. Children who are under 12 years old are ineligible to get vaccinated in Canada.

Toronto-based travel insurance broker Martin Firestone says there is still some uncertainty regarding requirements.

“It appears that there are just going to be requirements that are going to be necessary and how they’re going to be handled is all up in the air,” says Firestone.

He says families are making vacation plan only to pull the plug when they learn these rules.

“Many clients of mine who actually were booking Christmas vacations, have major concerns that after spending that two week lovely vacation to then be back home with two weeks quarantine in the home is just not going to fly, literally. So with that in mind, they’re cancelling those plans, if that’s the case,” says Firestone.

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