Quarantine, mask and random testing restrictions for students returning from international travel

As the sun sets on summer vacations, the district is reminding students and parents of the latest federal guidance for those returning from international travel, including information specific to children and youth.

School Attendance

Students may attend school upon returning from international travel, provided they adhere to the following requirements.

Unvaccinated and partially vaccinated children under 12 must wear a mask when in public spaces for the first 14 days after entry, including schools and daycares.

Unvaccinated and partially vaccinated youth 12 to 17 must complete the 14-day quarantine and all testing requirements for pre-entry, arrival and Day-8 tests, regardless of if they were accompanied by fully vaccinated travellers.

Unvaccinated and partially vaccinated students 18 and up must follow all testing and quarantine requirements. (See the checklist of testing and quarantine requirements)

Mandatory Random Testing (MRT)

Students five and up and their parents, regardless of vaccination status, may be randomly selected for a mandatory arrival test:

• Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated children must be tested if their accompanying parent is selected for mandatory random testing.
• Children who qualify as fully vaccinated are not required to be tested if their accompanying parent is selected for mandatory random testing.
• Children who qualify as fully vaccinated must be tested if they are selected for mandatory random testing.

Students are not required to quarantine while waiting for their test results.

If a fully vaccinated traveller or unvaccinated child under 12 tests positive on their arrival test, they must isolate for 10 days and report their test results to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) by calling 1-833-641-0343.

If a fully vaccinated parent, step-parent, guardian or tutor has travelled with a child and they experience symptoms or test positive, unvaccinated children under 12 must quarantine for 14 days and monitor for symptoms.

Quarantine

Travellers who are under quarantine must avoid contact with anyone they did not travel with:

• Stay in separate rooms
• If sharing a bathroom, clean and disinfect after use
• Avoid sharing personal items
• Avoid interactions with others in the household

To quality as a fully vaccinated traveller to Canada, you must:

• have received at least 2 doses of a vaccine accepted for travel, a mix of 2 accepted vaccines or at least one dose of the Janssen/Johnson & Johnson vaccine
• have received your second dose at least 14 calendar days before you enter Canada (For example, if your second dose was on July 1, then July 15 would be the first day that you meet the 14-day condition)

For more information on these and other federal guidance on travel, please visit travel.gc.ca/travel-covid