Whether you call it March break, spring break, mid-winter break (or something else), Canadians are encouraged not to venture outside of their home province for a weeklong jaunt this year as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to dominate our lives.
Some insurers are offering travel insurance packages that include different levels of coverage for COVID-19. But Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made his thoughts clear on the topic, telling Canadians, “don’t book a trip for spring break.” While he emphasized avoiding travelling abroad – the federal government’s non-essential travel advisory issued in March 2020 remains in effect – the Prime Minister’s warning also applies to domestic travel even if you carry a travel insurance policy in your back pocket.
A cautious Canuck might want to give thought to the risks involved with travelling to another province since Health Canada’s website advises us to “consider avoiding all non-essential trips within Canada, especially to areas that may have more COVID-19 spreading in communities.”
Meanwhile, the Ontario government advised Ontarians to curtail any travel plans they have in March, bumping the March break to mid-April for students and teachers.
That’s all well and good (you can’t say we haven’t been warned), but Canadians are divided on whether spring break should happen this year at all. One recent survey finds 31% of Canadians say spring break should proceed as normal, 29% say it ought to be cancelled altogether, and another 27% think postponing the weeklong holiday is the way to go.
Ultimately, the decision to travel outside of your home province while the pandemic fluctuates between frighteningly horrible and awful is yours to make.
Though there are no federal travel restrictions in place for domestic travel, there may be provincial and territorial travel restrictions or quarantine requirements you should check before leaving home. Also, check often, since the provincial and territorial governments update these pages frequently:
If you do decide to roll the dice and travel in March or April (whether domestically or internationally), consider these precautions:
No matter when or where you go when leaving your home province, travel insurance is a must-have. Even if you only plan on travelling to another province within Canada, some emergency medical treatments may not be covered by your provincial health card.