FlyerGoldII

One should not have to pay for covid tests done in USA for returning travelers to Canada.

See link to CBC news article:


https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/fre...-u-s-1.6242844

capedreamer

CBC: Ottawa nixing molecular COVID test requirement for Canadians taking short trips abroad: sources

Looks like the PCR test requirement is being dropped for fully vaccinated Canadians going abroad on trips under 72 hours, but staying in place for longer trips.

My 2 cents: This is dumb because we all know the virus doesn't attack you for the first 72 hours after you cross an international border. Why won't they just drop it altogether (for fully vaccinated travelers) or allow antigen tests like these countries I recently visited: US, UK, Spain, Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany.

rankourabu

Of course this is dumb, and as its always been the case, doesnt reflect science at all.
But they cant drop it altogether, read the CBC comments, there are still people who believe that the virus is coming in from abroad .... youre damned if you do and youre damned if you dont situation for this (already weak) government.
You cant just go from hotel jails to nothing at all in 5 months.

This appeases the cross border shopper and fly-in-for-a-meeting work trips, but still discourages people from going away.
The (expensive) PCR requirement is only there to continue to discourage travel.

I've been tested over a dozen times in the last 5 months of travelling around, by various constituencies around the world, mainly to be able to return home. Somehow antigen tests (or no tests at all) are good enough for other places, but not for Canada.

etgohomeok

You're right that it's dumb but it's even more dumb right now given that testing positive a few days after landing in a foreign country almost certainly means you were exposed in Canada before you left. Getting rid of it for short trips is a big step in the right direction at least.

Antigen tests to me are just as bad as PCR so I don't see the difference (aside form cost which isn't as much of a problem in foreign countries...) so I much prefer seeing them taking gradual steps to getting rid of tests for vaccinated travelers entirely rather than changing to a different type of test.

capedreamer

The cost is not always negligible depending on the foreign country in question. More importantly, the need to research, vet, and schedule — often in a foreign language — and then travel to / from a reliable testing provider that can deliver a PCR result within ~24-48 hours is not trivial. Trying to fit this into already busy trip itineraries within 72 hours of departure can sometimes feel like balancing on a tightrope, especially if flight schedules change. All in all, it's a significant inconvenience not based in science.

As ​​​rankourabu points out, the only rationale I can come up with is that the Canadian government is still trying to discourage travel, even though the non-essential travel advisory has been removed. Which begs the question: Does Canada not want to return to normal like other Western countries?

Crampedin13A

It is good news that you are now apparently immune to catching Covid in the first 72 hours of international travel. After that though all bets are off apparently. As others have said it's an ongoing effort by the Feds to discourage fully vaxxed Canadians from travelling still

dts9

Crazy and makes no sense.

Imagine getting a COVID test at home, flying to Vegas for 2 nights of partying with no masks, and flying home with your negative Canada PCR test. Defeats any purpose of reducing spread.

What they should do is a mandatory quick antigen test at airport or border crosssing, with random or mandatory (if they want) molecular test within 24 hours.

We came across a land border yesterday with a 48 hour old negative PCR and were given a "random" but mandatory molecular "take at home" test, however the catch was you had to video conference with a nurse who verified your id and watched you swab your nose and seal the package.

seawolf

What Canada and US should do is just align policy for arrivals from outside US/Canada and drop testing for travel within US/Canada.

rankourabu

Then wouldnt everyone just connect thru the US on the way home

seawolf

They would still have to meet US entry requirements. There is no concept of transit at US airports. A reminder that I'm referring to US and Canada aligning on a common COVID entry policy so a traveler from outside these two countries would have to meet identical requirements whether they are flying into YYZ or JFK.

rankourabu

For sure, with those requirements being a cheap and far more convenient (and arguably more effective due to the fact its not done 3 days before the flight) rapid test.
I'd be down for that over the PCR, which has been a pain in the butt to obtain in some places, both cost wise, and hassle wise.

sydneyracquelle

PCR tests are not only expensive but many times results take more than 72 hours especially over a weekend as many labs aren’t open on the weekend.

Soopergal

aren't antigen test not reliable? that's probably why they dropped it?

ywgckp

PCR tests are definitely more sensitive - especially for asymptomatic individuals. Out of every 100 asymptomatic people that test positive by PCR, only 60 or 70 will test positive by an antigen test.

However it's more complicated than that - as probably the people that test positive by antigen test have higher viral loads and are more likely to become symptomatic and spread it, so the difference isn't quite as large when considering that more relevant outcome. Also, you get results much quicker, allowing you to act on them immediately rather than a day or two later.

etgohomeok

So do we know when this announcement is supposed to come today? I can't find any information about any press conferences or anything. Just ambiguous and vague reports about rumors and leaks that don't really give any consistent info about some of the important details - some people saying it's dropping completely, others saying they're just going to start accepting antigens; some places saying land border only, others implying it's also air travel; etc.