Will I have any trouble entering Canada?
 

Healthy American traveler here. I'm a professor with a free spring break next week. I was planning to stay home since I had a work conference the week after in NYC, but that got postponed, of course. Last night I was playing around on Google Flights and found RTs--at the last minute--to places like Toronto and Montreal for as low as $195 (NOT in basic economy) on American (I'm elite, and also happy with AA). I see the virus is in Toronto, for example, but I am not reading anything about problems with Americans entering. Am I correct? Is there anything I should be thinking about? I was just thinking I may pop up there, see the city, take a day trip to Niagara Falls, and take advantage of the deals. Hotels are also priced well and I have a ticket on hold, but just want to be sure I am not having a brain bleep. Of course, I can always change the ticket for free right now, but the fare difference will likely be large later. There aren't any problems entering, right? So long as I don't arrive at the border hacking or something? It's so hard to tell much from the news, which likes to sensationalize everything.

You'll be questioned about whether you've traveled to certain high-risk areas, and if you have you may be subject to secondary inspection. Last I checked high-risk did not include the US. Even then you are not going to be denied entry to Canada based solely on your nationality or travel patterns.

It didn't appear that Pearson was doing anything different when I went through this past weekend (also flew AA). They've added a question about China/Iran to the Passport Control kiosk, but that seemed to be about it.

I was questioned quite intently by the CBSA Officer, though I don't think this had to do with COVID-19. He seemed suspicious about why someone would travel from the west coast to Toronto for a day and a half, in winter. Apparently "because it was a cheap fare" was not a good enough reason.

Why wouldn’t you be permitted to enter Canada?

Maybe related - I live in Detroit & drove over to Windsor, Ontario yesterday - I have Nexus - no questions about health either direction,

What about the opposite. A Canadian coming back from the US. It sounds like now it could be likely that you are put into the 14-day quarantine thing? I have a return flight booked at the end of April - just holding out right now but there is so much information coming daily it is becoming confusing?

My son, a Canadian citizen studying in the US, entered tonight from Chicago (at YYZ). The machine prompted if he had been in Italy, Iran, or China. That was the sum total of the extra screening. There was no mention of a 14-day quarantine.

There is no quarantine, but is is recommended to self isolate if you have come from anywhere outside of Canada. Here is the language used by the City of Ottawa Public Health.

Even if you do not have symptoms, it is recommended to self-isolate for 14 days if:

• You have travelled anywhere outside of Canada (including the United States of America).

Here is the tweet which refers to guidance from the Canadian and Ontario governments. Consider, recommended, asking are the words being used. They aren't yet saying must.
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13F

There is not yet a mandatory quarantine for people entering Canada. It is recommended. Of course, the situation is developing rapidly and I would not rule out an imposition of mandatory quarantine in the coming days.

NEWS: On Tuesday evening, March 17, 2020, CNN and CBC are reporting that there are talks to shut down the US/Canada border, including land border to everyone, including Canadians and Americans. There will be an exception for essential travel and truckers. The announcement might be as early as March 18, 2020 according to CNN. My guess is that it would not be effective on the day it was announced but very soon afterwards. I would not travel across the border and risk getting stuck. If you plan to return before the cut off date, that is probably ok but there's still a risk that you might be injured in a car accident and be in the hospital for a very short time, missing the deadline.

The US Canada land border will close on at night between Friday night and the early hours of Saturday. Exceptions are truckers and essential travel. The border crossing at the Peace Arch (White Rock, BC and Blaine, WA) was nearly empty today. News reports revealed that Canada asked for the border to be sealed, not the Trump.

https://www.ajc.com/news/breaking-ca...hktknpLXjCp7O/

"The travel restrictions do not apply to air, freight rail, or sea travel between the U.S. and Canada."

this is the second instance i have seen i had thought the border ban of the past two months included air travel

articles like this have been misleading
https://www.travelandleisure.com/air...nds-us-flights