PCR test requirements at the border need to be re-examined: Tam
Posted November 5, 2021 7:42 am.
Last Updated November 5, 2021 12:13 pm.
Just days ahead of the U.S. border reopening, Canada’s chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says border measures that require travellers to present a negative COVID-19 test to enter Canada should be re-examined.
Currently, anyone crossing into Canada needs to show a recent, molecular test that shows a negative result for COVID-19 in order to get into Canada. The U.S. does not require a test.
At a cost of $150 to $300 per test, that can be a pricey proposition, particularly for families.
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Critics have been particularly frustrated with the policy for short trips across the U.S. border, which allows travellers to get tested in Canada before spending up to 72 hours in U.S. and then present their negative Canadian test to re-enter the country.
Some experts say the short-trip policy provides no protection in terms of importing COVID-19 cases to Canada.
Tam says the policy is “actively being looked at.”
All eyes on Monday
The U.S. is set to welcome back vaccinated Canadians and Mexicans at its land borders on Nov. 8 after midnight.
The land border has been shut to non-essential travel since March 2020. Canada reopened its border in August, sparking anger that the U.S. did not follow suit.
While travellers are not being asked to show a negative PCR test to enter America, they do have to prove their immunization status and their vaccines must be approved by the World Health Organization.
Those with mix-and-match doses and AstraZeneca will be accepted into the U.S.
There are also new air travel rules coming in effect on Monday as well. Non-citizen, non-immigrant air travellers to the U.S. need to be fully vaccinated and there are only limited exceptions to that rule.
Among them: Children under 18 who are instead required to take a pre-departure test in its place.
