Covid testing before entering Canada for a Alaska cruise

[skidroe]

COVID-19 vaccinated travellers entering Canada - Travel restrictions in Canada – Travel.gc.ca

On the Canadian Government website,  the Raid Antigen test used by Abbott home testing is NOT acceptable.

How will this affect passengers utilizing the HAL Seattle-Vancouver shuttle?

Hope that there is approved Covid testing at SEATAC.

 

[PACD_JG]

Are you on the February or March Alaska cruise?

[remydiva]

I'm wondering too as flights or land crossings INTO Canada require a Neg PCR test (not rapid antigen) for entry. I'm looking at a TA that would land in FLL and wonder how the heck I'll get a PCR test before flight back home?

 

[Crew News]

2 hours ago, remydiva said:

I'm wondering too as flights or land crossings INTO Canada require a Neg PCR test (not rapid antigen) for entry. I'm looking at a TA that would land in FLL and wonder how the heck I'll get a PCR test before flight back home?

 

HAL has contracted with a local FLL lab to conduct free PCR tests just outside the HAL terminal doors for those traveling internationally after their cruise.  Results were taking about 4 hours from my observation.  On my Nieuw Statendam cruise in December, HAL performed PCR tests on the day before disembarkation for those with early international flights on Disembarkation Day.

 

To be safe and have time for Disembarkation Day testing, I would not book an international flight home until after 4:00 PM.

Edited February 11, 2022 by Crew News

[SusieKIslandGirl]

Last fall my nephew and wife had to test at SeaTac because of test results not arriving in time for their trip to Italy. They got their tests but it was $500😲. I'm not sure which test they had.

[Brodysmum]

I have heard today, the government is looking to drop these tests, coming into Canada

[Anubi]

1 hour ago, Brodysmum said:

I have heard today, the government is looking to drop these tests, coming into Canada

I heard that as well, fingers crossed!!  

[rj59]

It's highly likely that those requirements will not be in place by the Alaska season, at least in BC. After losing many millions to Seattle last summer because Canada closed to cruise ships, you can count on tourism and business interests in Vancouver and Victoria making absolutely sure that it's as easy as possible for cruise passengers to get to their ports. Even checking vaccines or testing on a short stop in Victoria for a r/t Seattle cruise would be something of a logistical nightmare for all the ships coming there, so I imagine the local authorities will be something similar to what they did for immigration last time, just making people fill out immigration forms and handing them over for the entire ship. There's just an immense passenger capacity for the Alaska season this year, and Canada really can't afford to give the US Senate a reason to make the bypass-Canada bill of last summer permanent. 

[kazu]

12 hours ago, Brodysmum said:

I have heard today, the government is looking to drop these tests, coming into Canada

 

Yes, for the fully vaccinated Canadians.  Replaced by rapid antigen tests right now.  No announcement that I have heard yet on non Canadian citizens but I suspect it will be the same.

[boulders]

PCR tests are not required to enter Canada and never have been. There are a bunch of other tests that can suffice. https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/travel-restrictions/covid-vaccinated-travellers-entering-canada  Included amongst these is the Rapid ID Now test which gets results back a lot quicker than PCR. 

[Shipswap]

On 2/12/2022 at 8:00 AM, boulders said:

PCR tests are not required to enter Canada and never have been. There are a bunch of other tests that can suffice. https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/travel-restrictions/covid-vaccinated-travellers-entering-canada  Included amongst these is the Rapid ID Now test which gets results back a lot quicker than PCR. 

You might want to read to the bottom of the page. Rapid Antigen tests are not approved. They must be PCR and the equivalent.

 

 

 

[boulders]

5 minutes ago, Shipswap said:

You might want to read to the bottom of the page. Rapid Antigen tests are not approved. They must be PCR and the equivalent

 

I've read the whole page. Rapid ID Now tests are not antigen tests. They are nucleic acid amplification tests. They are similar to PCR. 

Edited February 14, 2022 by boulders

[Shipswap]

18 minutes ago, boulders said:

 

I've read the whole page. Rapid ID Now tests are not antigen tests. They are nucleic acid amplification tests. They are similar to PCR. 

Yes, Boulder they are one of the equivalents. I probably didn’t express my thoughts clearly. It was mean to emphasize that PCR test has been the standard Canadian requirement and there might be confusion.

[hvbaskey]

31 minutes ago, Shipswap said:

Yes, Boulder they are one of the equivalents. I probably didn’t express my thoughts clearly. It was mean to emphasize that PCR test has been the standard Canadian requirement and there might be confusion.

 

Snapshot from web site [13 Feb 2022]; sometimes visuals help.  I agree with above, could be confusion with PCR and accepted equivalents.

Edited February 14, 2022 by hvbaskey

[westcoaster]

News reports this morning are saying that Canada is dropping the PCR test requirement for entry as of March 1.   lt looks like a rapid antigen test will still be required, but that too may change prior to May.

[Ottawa traveller]

So far the new rule permitting rapid antigen tests only applies to fully vaccinated Canadians. 

[westcoaster]

It's not just Canadians.  It's for all fully vaccinated travelers entering Canada.