scrubbedexpat091

There are no countries exempt anymore, all air passengers arriving in Canada will have to provide a negative test done within 72 hours of the flight. Presumably airlines will now deny boarding to anyone who doesn't have said test, 14 day quarantine still required.

Has to be a PCR test.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/neg...gers-1.5857626

Siouxie

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/neg...gers-1.5857626

The trouble with having a negative test 72 hours before the flight is that the test isn't conclusive and it can take anything up to 14 days for the virus to show symptoms.. so they could test negatively on the day - yet become ill on the flight or later. https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus#tab=tab_3
https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/coron...tive-1.5610114

Gozit

The negative test is required in addition to the 14 day quarantine. Hopefully we are a little closer to getting rid of that but the calgary thing exists for now. I don't think public opinion in Canada would like the quarantine being scrapped. It is valid that we have no community transmission of the second strain because everyone who had it was in quarantine. But as other posters have pointed out it is not any more lethal then the current variant, and I still believe the Alberta strategy combined with having a negative test (that's 3 total negative tests over 17-21 days) is pretty safe and balances public health and the need for people to travel.

Zoe Bell

Don’t conflate “ need to travel” with “ want to travel”
they are not the same thing and the latter needs to be actively discouraged until we have this thing under control

OrangeMango

I'd say, the "Alberta Strategy" as you call it, is the only real secure way. The advantage is that it's not only shorter, but there are now two tests required, one before travel, one upon arrival, I think there is also another one later on, plus one is more in touch with authorities. I think it's 2 days in quarantine and 14 days within Alberta or something like that. At least that's practical.

I don't think that anybody is really honest to spend 14 days in a single room with a bathroom, unless it's a big comfortable mansion in the middle of a Canadian winter. Plus Canada doesn't really have the manpower to surveillance each and everyone 24 hours a day for 14 days. Thus people are more likely to break it.

Jerseygirl

Exactly...hardly anyone ‘needs’ to travel ATM.

Siouxie

Nobody needs to spend 14 days in a single room with a bathroom. Many alternatives have been suggested over the course of this and other threads
For the requirements and steps: - https://www.alberta.ca/international...t-project.aspx
Hopefully they will allow flights in from the UK again at some point in the not too distant future, for those that have to return!

I agree with Zoe though - I have to fly rather than want to fly, should be the mantra..

scrubbedexpat091

The testing requirement goes into affect in a week, and applied to those 5 and older, at least according to the US Gov't who sent me the following.

"The Canadian Government announced that effectiveJanuary 7, 2021, all airline passengers 5 years of age or older will be required to test negative for COVID-19 when traveling from another country to Canada. The new regulation requires passengers to provide their airline with negative laboratory COVID-19 molecular polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test resultstaken within 72 hoursof their scheduled departure to Canada. "

MarylandNed

Right but they know they are not going to catch everyone - they just want to catch more and stop them from getting on a plane. To be honest, I suspect the testing requirement is also a deterrent to weed out some of the people who really don't need to travel. And the 14 day quarantine is still in effect for anyone travelling to Canada.

Stumpylegs

Its not just that, imagine you get a faulty, or a fraudulent negative test prior to getting on the plane (aside from people selling fake falses, sending someone else for a test if you think you might have it but want to travel - at the moment i believe you show your test result on your phone/print it - there are reference numbers but they aren't cross checked, so a few minutes with photoshop and your away)

That person sneezes and coughs all over the plane - infects 20 people on the plane - with quarantine 20 folk in quarantine catch covid then it dies off, without quarantine - spread could be huge.

scrubbedexpat091

Canada is going to close the loophole so non-essential travelers no longer qualify for the 1,000 sickness benefits.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/corona...e-pm-1.5254066


Seems people going on vacation were claiming this benefits upon return, but the government should have also ensured this loophole didn't exist in the first place.

If the politicians really don't want people to travel, and as far as I know can't force people to remain in Canada under charter rights, but they could put into place a 500,000 COVID landing fee on all international flights, you'd see just about every if not all international airlines pull service. It's not a ban but its not economically feasible for airlines to pay so they will just suspend service, doubt even AC or Westjet would pay that, and boom you eliminate international travel without actually banning it.

BristolUK

Yes I heard that on CBC radio. Obviously intended to compensate people who had to isolate but might not be able to afford it, so as to discourage them from still going to work.

But I also remember that all these CERB payments were to be processed with minimum administration, which meant little to no checking.
How does one ensure these payments only go to those it's intended for without statements (probably from their employer) that they attended work up to this date and then from the next date were isolating because (reason)....and then if the reason was a positive test, some proof of it.

scrubbedexpat091

The 72 hour testing rule now in effect, this person from Kelowna decided to leave Canada for Lake Tahoe in the US on Dec 30. Gov't announced the new testing rules on Dec 31, and rules went into effect on January 7th today, but now they are claiming they can't just be left there....

Why did they not change their vacay plans and just return on January 1st to 6th before the rules went into effect?

https://globalnews.ca/news/7559594/b...-travel-rules/

cheeky_monkey

yet there are no restrictions regarding domestic air travel...i travel every week by air to Vancouver and Prince George from Edmonton..when this all started West Jet and Air Canada were only selling every other seat to keep social distancing on planes..as the year has gone on..flights have been cut and the selling the every other seat rule went out the window a long time ago..now when i get on a plane flights are full ..you cant social distance and are sat next to people who you have no idea who they are or where they have been..but somehow that's ok..but visiting your family is not ok and frowned upon and you can be fined etc

Revin Kevin

Sort of sums it up!