Canada US land border to reopen

[Josie201]

Breaking news.  Early detail says “next month” but official detail to come.  It’s posted on CBC but I don’t know how to link it here.  

Edited October 13, 2021 by Josie201

[lots-of-km2]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/us-canada-border-reopen-1.6208838

[thon]

Just to be clear - this is a a US Congressman who says that the US Govt will reopen the border next month.  He offers no other details and it is not an official announcement.  We can all hope he’s right though.

[3Shelaghs]

Snowbirds will be happy, if it comes to fruition……I would love a good shopping day, but with a $$$ PCR test to return to Canada same day, is 🥜🥜🥜

[Sue from Canada]

Can we get rid of PCR tests once the border opens to vaccinated travellers only.

[DirtyDawg]

6 hours ago, Sue from Canada said:

Can we get rid of PCR tests once the border opens to vaccinated travellers only.

That will likely take longer. Remember those travelers will not only be returning Canadians with our rather amateurish vaccination documents but Sue from Alabama with her hand written CDC vaccination card which she bought online and forged. 😉

Edited October 13, 2021 by DirtyDawg

[nbsjcruiser]

47 minutes ago, DirtyDawg said:

That will likely take longer. Remember those travelers will not only be returning Canadians with our rather amateurish vaccination documents but Sue from Alabama with her hand written CDC vaccination card which she bought online and forged. 😉

I suspect (hope?) that once the Feds get their poop in  a group and get the vaccine passport figured out, Canadians who are fully vaccinated might be able to skip the PCR nonsense while those who are not fully vaccinated (Canadians or not) will need the PCR Test. If you read the government's own committee recommendations you'll see that they do NOT recommend PCR tests for fully vaccinated people at the border. Instead the recommendation is for spot tests, done at random. Its apparent that the reason the Liberals are going against their own committee recommendation is to use the PCR test as a hammer to keep people home. I get the feeling that many Canadians have had enough and many leaders (like Higgs in NB) are losing the vaccinated people now. They never had the tinfoil hat unvaccinated bunch but the longer this goes on, the more people have had their fill of political leaders telling us where we can go. 

[Fouremco]

7 minutes ago, nbsjcruiser said:

Its apparent that the reason the Liberals are going against their own committee recommendation is to use the PCR test as a hammer to keep people home.

[*Miss G*]

22 minutes ago, nbsjcruiser said:

If you read the government's own committee recommendations you'll see that they do NOT recommend PCR tests for fully vaccinated people at the border. Instead the recommendation is for spot tests, done at random. 

Its apparent that the reason the Liberals are going against their own committee recommendation is to use the PCR test as a hammer to keep people home. 

I think I may be missing your point as this is exactly what they are currently doing. We are no longer required to do a PCR test at the border (except random spot checks) but we do still need a negative test within 72 hours of crossing. 

[broberts]

23 minutes ago, nbsjcruiser said:

...but the longer this goes on, the more people have had their fill of political leaders telling us where we can go. 

 

Our world seems to be full of adults acting as selfish, spoiled children.

[MaddyandMax]

So what's peoples thoughts on the border opening and allowing mixed mRNA vaccines?  According to Royal's website the CDC accepts that mixture.  It will be interesting to see if that's the case with the border.  If they are allowing it on cruise ships I would assume they'll allow it at the border.

 

But if not our government better step up and allow us a third dose for travel like other provinces.  I did the right them, on their recommendation, and I don't deserve to be penalized for it.  I'm not a fan of sneaking to get a third dose.  I shouldn't have to do that.  I expect the government to fix it - one way or another.

[JJMD]

1 hour ago, Fouremco said:

Why the eye roll??  That’s exactly what Patty Hadju said:

 

https://globalnews.ca/news/8254401/covid-vaccine-travel-hajdu-holiday-canada/amp/

 

 

[K_e_short]

Very happy to hear the rumour. Hopefully it is true and not just a rumour.

 

I would love for the PCR test to be removed. Even if it was an antigen test required I would be much happier.

 

I know we are pushing our luck and being more and more demanding, BUT, those that did the right thing and got vaccinated are still not getting "a good deal".

 

 

[lots-of-km2]

38 minutes ago, broberts said:

Our world seems to be full of adults acting as selfish, spoiled children.

 

Places like Texas and Florida, for sure.  Canada, no.  With all respect, I submit that it's unfair to tar everyone with the same brush. 

 

Canadians, on the whole (excepting the 2% of denialist wingnuts and anti-vaxxers), have conducted themselves unselfishly and with a lot of self-restraint over the last 20 months.  And our collective circumstances have led to other health crises that get short shrift in the media:   depression and anxiety.  

 

As an antidote, travel is a form of self-care and connecting to the world, and it is a really healthy thing to plan and dream for vacations as a way of looking ahead.  That's neither selfish nor spoiled. 

[broberts]

1 minute ago, lots-of-km2 said:

 

Places like Texas and Florida, for sure.  Canada, no.  With all respect, I submit that it's unfair to tar everyone with the same brush. 

 

Canadians, on the whole (excepting the 2% of denialist wingnuts and anti-vaxxers), have conducted themselves unselfishly and with a lot of self-restraint over the last 20 months.  And our collective circumstances have led to other health crises that get short shrift in the media:   depression and anxiety.  

 

As an antidote, travel is a form of self-care and connecting to the world, and it is a really healthy thing to plan and dream for vacations as a way of looking ahead.  That's neither selfish nor spoiled. 

 

Please! Moaning about having done "the right thing" and now suffering as a result is the ultimate display of spoiled selfish behavior. As are the demands that the government "fix it".

 

Most of us did "the right thing" because it made us far less likely to contract a severe case of covid. There was little to no altruism involved.

 

Travel, especially international travel, is still an activity that is more likely than not to continue the spread of covid. Insisting that the government assist with enabling leisure, non-essential travel is a clear demonstration of selfish thinking.

 

Suggesting that Canadians are not selfish or spoiled, (I include myself), simply denies the evidence.

[lots-of-km2]

11 minutes ago, broberts said:

Suggesting that Canadians are not selfish or spoiled, (I include myself), simply denies the evidence.

 

With respect: you're not the only party to this matter, your issues are not the only issues, and your fact and opinion evidence are not the only evidence.   And the corrosive insults aren't helpful.  

[DirtyDawg]

Here's a fact. According to the New York Times, the latest data is that 3.8 billion people on this planet have not even received the first shot of a Covid vaccine yet. 

 

Here's my opinion. We Canadians have been very fortunate to be given the opportunity to be fully vaccinated.  Was the process perfect? No, but when was the last time any of us scored perfect on anything?

[Fouremco]

34 minutes ago, JJMD said:

Why the eye roll??  That’s exactly what Patty Hadju said:

 

https://globalnews.ca/news/8254401/covid-vaccine-travel-hajdu-holiday-canada/amp/

 

 

Nowhere does Hadju say that the Liberals are using the PCR test as a hammer to keep people home, a ridiculous statement IMO. It's one thing to encourage people not to travel and a very different thing to state that any party would use testing as a hammer rather than as a means to protect Canadians in the fight against COVID. 

 

As we all know, many Canadians continue to travel south. If the GOC really wanted to stop them, there are a good number of other, far more effective measures that could have been implemented. Instead, it asked Canadian not to travel, but if they chose to anyway, they were then asked to take a test to minimize the possibility of a further spread of COVID within Canada.  

[tert333]

30 minutes ago, broberts said:

 

Please! Moaning about having done "the right thing" and now suffering as a result is the ultimate display of spoiled selfish behavior. As are the demands that the government "fix it".

 

Most of us did "the right thing" because it made us far less likely to contract a severe case of covid. There was little to no altruism involved.

 

Travel, especially international travel, is still an activity that is more likely than not to continue the spread of covid. Insisting that the government assist with enabling leisure, non-essential travel is a clear demonstration of selfish thinking.

 

Suggesting that Canadians are not selfish or spoiled, (I include myself), simply denies the evidence.

There will be increased risk as we do more things.   Just going to the grocery store increases our risk.  Shopping or going to a sporting event increases our risk.   It is not selfish that people want to travel.  We all have our own forms of entertainment and will perform our own risk mitgation.  

 

We all want to get back to our normal state.   I do not believe this is being spoiled.  Many of us have a passion to travel and want to continue with it with the few years that we have left.  I think we should embrace the changes and do the best that we can to limit the risk, but still be able to start enjoying the things that we have not been able to do for the past couple of years.

 

We are fortunate to live in a country that has an ample supply of vaccines and that enables us to start doing some of the activities that we were not able to do.  There are many that are not able to experience things that we can do.  However, that was also the truth prior to Covid.   We should not feel guilty of our ability to hopefully get back to a normal life.

[JJMD]

34 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

Nowhere does Hadju say that the Liberals are using the PCR test as a hammer to keep people home, a ridiculous statement IMO. It's one thing to encourage people not to travel and a very different thing to state that any party would use testing as a hammer rather than as a means to protect Canadians in the fight against COVID. 

 

As we all know, many Canadians continue to travel south. If the GOC really wanted to stop them, there are a good number of other, far more effective measures that could have been implemented. Instead, it asked Canadian not to travel, but if they chose to anyway, they were then asked to take a test to minimize the possibility of a further spread of COVID within Canada.  

There are a LOT of Canadians that can barely afford to take a holiday; they save and save so that they can go on a cruise or go to an all inclusive.  So the cost of a PCR test, or like before, the cost of staying in a government designated hotel post-vacation, makes travel less attractive, because it’s cost prohibitive.  That’s what this government is doing: they are discouraging travel by making it less affordable for many.

 

 

[truckswain]

1 hour ago, lots-of-km2 said:

 

Places like Texas and Florida, for sure.  Canada, no.  With all respect, I submit that it's unfair to tar everyone with the same brush. 

 

Canadians, on the whole (excepting the 2% of denialist wingnuts and anti-vaxxers), have conducted themselves unselfishly and with a lot of self-restraint over the last 20 months.  And our collective circumstances have led to other health crises that get short shrift in the media:   depression and anxiety.  

 

As an antidote, travel is a form of self-care and connecting to the world, and it is a really healthy thing to plan and dream for vacations as a way of looking ahead.  That's neither selfish nor spoiled. 

This:

"As an antidote, travel is a form of self-care and connecting to the world, and it is a really healthy thing to plan and dream for vacations as a way of looking ahead.  That's neither selfish nor spoiled. "

 

Perfectly stated and so true!

[Fouremco]

5 minutes ago, JJMD said:

There are a LOT of Canadians that can barely afford to take a holiday; they save and save so that they can go on a cruise or go to an all inclusive.  So the cost of a PCR test, or like before, the cost of staying in a government designated hotel post-vacation, makes travel less attractive, because it’s cost prohibitive.  That’s what this government is doing: they are discouraging travel by making it less affordable for many.

 

 

One of the proven tools in the fight against any pandemic is to limit travel, one of major steps undertaken by countries globally in the attempt to reduce cases and prevent deaths. Yes, leisure travel such as cruising and staying at AI resorts, is going to cost more, but so does essential travel, which is why everything from the cost of groceries to the price of gasoline has sky rocketed.

 

You say that a "LOT of Canadians can barely afford to take a holiday." Well, a lot of Canadians have had a hard time keeping a roof over their head or feeding their families due to the pandemic. A lot of Canadians have lost loved ones to the pandemic. A lot of Canadians continue to suffer from long haul COVID. Need I go on? Excuse me if I'm not going to rail against the government because some Canadians might have to add the cost of a PCR test to their $$$ cruise or AI resort holiday.

 

 

[broberts]

2 hours ago, tert333 said:

We all want to get back to our normal state.   I do not believe this is being spoiled.  Many of us have a passion to travel and want to continue with it with the few years that we have left.  I think we should embrace the changes and do the best that we can to limit the risk, but still be able to start enjoying the things that we have not been able to do for the past couple of years.

 

I agree and I never said these sentiments indicated selfish, spoiled behavior. I won't bother reposting what I actually said.

 

I will point out that to "do the best we can to limit the risk" necessarily involves refraining from non essential travel. I really don't care how much risk others expose themselves to. But I do object to the thinking that these risks only affect those exposed. The nature of a pandemic is such that actions of others can and do have effects on me and others not taking the same risk. 

[Magicat]

Limiting travel is a viable solution.  If the government wanted to really stop the influx of Covid cases then they should really stop all travelling.  From the link below you can see that Canada is still getting cases "imported".  I wonder how many tests at departure stops travelers to board a flight and these unlucky people developed Covid between their test and landing in Canada?

 

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/latest-travel-health-advice/exposure-flights-cruise-ships-mass-gatherings.html

[tert333]

1 hour ago, Magicat said:

Limiting travel is a viable solution.  If the government wanted to really stop the influx of Covid cases then they should really stop all travelling.  From the link below you can see that Canada is still getting cases "imported".  I wonder how many tests at departure stops travelers to board a flight and these unlucky people developed Covid between their test and landing in Canada?

 

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/latest-travel-health-advice/exposure-flights-cruise-ships-mass-gatherings.html

There are lots of options of reducing the spread of covid.  Definitely, closing the border is one.  Others would include shutting down restaurants, entertainment establishments(eg. sports areas, cinemas, etc.)  In all cases, it has an impact on people's livelihoods and the country in general(including people's mental health).   I am glad I do not have to make those decisions.....