PCR Requirements Slackened?

[DirtyDawg]

20 minutes ago, Magicat said:

Where is Switch Health at Pearson?  Last I heard it was out in the parking garage not in the terminal.  That was a couple of months back so it might have changed.

For departing passengers 

 

https://www.torontopearson.com/en/healthy-airport/covid-19-testing-at-toronto-pearson/departing-passengers

 

"The testing clinic is located in the Value Park Garage. It is open 5am to 11pm, 7 days a week."

[gnome12]

23 minutes ago, Magicat said:

Where is Switch Health at Pearson?  Last I heard it was out in the parking garage not in the terminal.  That was a couple of months back so it might have changed.

That parking garage is connected to both terminals by the link train, so not really that inconvenient. 

[Magicat]

A little inconvenient if you are doing the test for a connecting flight.

[DirtyDawg]

2 hours ago, Magicat said:

A little inconvenient if you are doing the test for a connecting flight.

They also have locations in the arrivals area of both terminals for incoming passengers. Not sure if you can use them for an connecting flight but all you have to do is call and ask them.

[nbsjcruiser]

On 10/19/2021 at 5:54 PM, broberts said:

 

The test requirement is unlikely to disappear anytime soon. At best antigen tests may become acceptable. Possibly tests will not be needed for day trippers. But getting rid of a test requirement doesn't really make sense.

 

If fully vaccinated, a test makes zero sense. Testing on top of vaccines only sends a message that there is no faith in the vaccines and it also discourages people from travel. And now you have government officials touting the policy of getting a test BEFORE you leave Canada and returning with those test results. That should tell all Canadians all they need to know about this nonsense. And don't forget, the government's own committee of scientists and doctors recommended AGAINST forced PCR tests on fully vaccinated people coming into Canada.

 

You only have to look at both sides of the border across both countries to see the damage being done. In BC alone its estimated that $10B will be lost this year alone due to restricted travel and those losses will continue as long as Americans have to do PCR tests before entering the country. The only Yanks who will put up with that are ones with family or property here. The rest will raise the middle finger and vacation elsewhere.

 

We're going to have to live with this now unless we all want to turn ourselves into Chicken Littles and hide out in our basement. Will some people have to be more careful? Absolutely. But we cannot continue to shut down the tourism industry now that there are options for the vast majority of people to remain safe. 

[DirtyDawg]

28 minutes ago, nbsjcruiser said:

If fully vaccinated, a test makes zero sense. Testing on top of vaccines only sends a message that there is no faith in the vaccines and it also discourages people from travel. And now you have government officials touting the policy of getting a test BEFORE you leave Canada and returning with those test results. That should tell all Canadians all they need to know about this nonsense. And don't forget, the government's own committee of scientists and doctors recommended AGAINST forced PCR tests on fully vaccinated people coming into Canada.

 

You only have to look at both sides of the border across both countries to see the damage being done. In BC alone its estimated that $10B will be lost this year alone due to restricted travel and those losses will continue as long as Americans have to do PCR tests before entering the country. The only Yanks who will put up with that are ones with family or property here. The rest will raise the middle finger and vacation elsewhere.

 

We're going to have to live with this now unless we all want to turn ourselves into Chicken Littles and hide out in our basement. Will some people have to be more careful? Absolutely. But we cannot continue to shut down the tourism industry now that there are options for the vast majority of people to remain safe. 

Why waste you time on your soap box here? Write to the Public Health Agency of Canada and see if you can persuade them because the Feds are relying on that agency's recommendation regarding Covid testing. My suspicion is the Agency and the Feds are being ultra conservative with this to see how border re-openings around the world go over the next few months. Canada rolled the dice on mixed vaccines and won. They might be stepping back from the craps table on PCR testing.  

 

As for U.S. tourism, most of the Northern flow is in the summer months so not dropping the PCR testing requirement now will not hurt the tourism economy too much over winter and early spring. That time period will allow for more international data to be collected and analyzed. By summer 2022 testing/entrance requirements for entering Canada will likely be changed. Hopefully the PCR testing will have been dropped, but if there is a fifth or sixth wave across the globe... they might get very restrictive again. We are still in a pandemic, we are nowhere near being post pandemic. 

 

Putting my soap box in the recycling bin now. 

[Fouremco]

2 hours ago, nbsjcruiser said:

If fully vaccinated, a test makes zero sense. Testing on top of vaccines only sends a message that there is no faith in the vaccines and it also discourages people from travel.

Nonsense. There's not a single vaccine manufacturer that pretends to offer a COVID vaccine that provides 100% protection. And none pretend to produce a vaccine that remains indefinitely at its maximum level of protection, which is why manufacturers are in the process of developing and acquiring approval for booster shots. Testing remains a primary tool in the fight against spread of COVID, not just in Canada but in countries around the world, and no one with even a minimal understanding of the pandemic would promote the elimination of testing.

[broberts]

3 hours ago, nbsjcruiser said:

If fully vaccinated, a test makes zero sense. Testing on top of vaccines only sends a message that there is no faith in the vaccines and it also discourages people from travel. And now you have government officials touting the policy of getting a test BEFORE you leave Canada and returning with those test results. That should tell all Canadians all they need to know about this nonsense. And don't forget, the government's own committee of scientists and doctors recommended AGAINST forced PCR tests on fully vaccinated people coming into Canada.

 

You only have to look at both sides of the border across both countries to see the damage being done. In BC alone its estimated that $10B will be lost this year alone due to restricted travel and those losses will continue as long as Americans have to do PCR tests before entering the country. The only Yanks who will put up with that are ones with family or property here. The rest will raise the middle finger and vacation elsewhere.

 

We're going to have to live with this now unless we all want to turn ourselves into Chicken Littles and hide out in our basement. Will some people have to be more careful? Absolutely. But we cannot continue to shut down the tourism industry now that there are options for the vast majority of people to remain safe. 

 

I take it that you believe current vaccinations will last forever and new vaccine resistant variants will not emerge.

[iancal]

We have seen some huge differences in PCR testing-both pricing and availability for those travel destinations that we have researched.

 

Anywhere from $30 USD in Cuba-available at numerous resorts,  40-60 Euro in Greece,  $100 USD in Panama, and anywhere from $150. plus in Mexico.   No idea about the US or the UK.   

 

The other huge difference seems to be time for results. Anywhere from a few hours to 24 hours (maybe).

[K_e_short]

1 hour ago, iancal said:

We have seen some huge differences in PCR testing-both pricing and availability for those travel destinations that we have researched.

 

Anywhere from $30 USD in Cuba-available at numerous resorts,  40-60 Euro in Greece,  $100 USD in Panama, and anywhere from $150. plus in Mexico.   No idea about the US or the UK.   

 

The other huge difference seems to be time for results. Anywhere from a few hours to 24 hours (maybe).

 

Remember as well that many Caribbean All Inclusive resorts are doing Antigen and PCR tests for free.

They need and want the business and are willing to organize themselves to help out Canadian and U.S. visitors.

 

[ctlyf]

Personally, I don't see the requirement for returning Canadian travelers to provide a negative PCR test to end anytime soon. And this may sound like a conspiracy, but by keeping the requirement for an expensive test in place, the added cost will discourage Canadians from travelling out of country, particularly families with children who are required to be tested. This serves a dual purpose of keeping more people home to spend tourism dollars in Canada, as well as being able to consider lifting travel restrictions, knowing there are a lot who still won't leave the country due to the added cost. It's almost a win-win. The flip side is that it also may discourage foreign travelers from coming to Canada, so maybe not a win-win 🤷‍♀️

[monza]

I recommend anyone who wants to see the change contact your MP and Minister Blair, as we have the ability to petition our government,and maybe they will listen.

 

I received this encouraging reply yesterday from my liberal MP. I had contacted both my MP and Minister Blair. Maybe they are or will listen. Here's the reply:

 

Marc asked me to share the following with you.

 

He has heard concerns like yours related to the PCR tests and has brought this directly to cabinet. He agrees PCR tests may be excessive.

 

Just as an aside, it is also important to remember the Ontario Conservatives spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on attack ads criticizing the federal government, accusing us of not completely closing the border. We also received emails from constituents request the same.

 

So as it goes in most situations related to government decision making, the likelihood of proceeding with a plan or initiative with 100% support is virtually unheard of; then to mix in the Covid pandemic, this caused a very urgent and complex situation requiring tough decisions to be made and quickly to ensure the safety of residents.

 

Thank you for your comments, I assure your message was brought to cabinet.

 

 

[iancal]

I do not view the PCR test requirement as a political undertaking. 

 

Nor do I feel that I have the expertise to advise or even request that the Government change/relax this.    

Edited October 21, 2021 by iancal

[gubby]

2 hours ago, iancal said:

I do not view the PCR test requirement as a political undertaking. 

 

Nor do I feel that I have the expertise to advise or even request that the Government change/relax this.    

How refreshing! It is too bad that the .majority  of us did not follow this excellent advice.

[*Miss G*]

I’ve crossed the border into the US at the Peace Bridge in August as well as last week. It was business as usual but lighter traffic. (Except for the commercial vehicles and the need to wear a mask.) There are still a number of people who live on one side of the border and work on the other so those people are still commuting. 

[wendycook22]

Deleted

Edited October 22, 2021 by wendycook22

[wendycook22]

7 hours ago, K_e_short said:

 

Remember as well that many Caribbean All Inclusive resorts are doing Antigen and PCR tests for free.

They need and want the business and are willing to organize themselves to help out Canadian and U.S. visitors.

 

Actually, most Caribbean resorts are now only offering the antigen test for free, and charging anywhere from $90-$200 US pp for PCR tests. Few and far between are offering both at no charge. 

[K_e_short]

2 minutes ago, wendycook22 said:

Actually, most resorts are now just offering antigen tests at no charge, but providing PCR testing for a fee ranging from $90-$200 pp depending on country and resort.  

 

I am going to Sandos Caracol Eco Resort in March.

Free PCR test with a stay of at least 7 days.

[wendycook22]

53 minutes ago, K_e_short said:

 

I am going to Sandos Caracol Eco Resort in March.

Free PCR test with a stay of at least 7 days.

Yes, they are one of the ones still offering free PCR tests.  But as I mentioned they are few and far between and not as wide spread as they once were. 🙂

Edited October 22, 2021 by wendycook22