The Canada-U.S. border has officially opened to fully vaccinated Westman travelers.
You need to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination on the way down – and require a negative molecular COVID-19 test to come back – a test that can cost betweeen $150 and $300 apiece. The requirement is for all travelers aged 5 years and older. The good news is a cheaper option for Canadian travelers has become available thanks to Grand Forks‘ public health department – Global News reports.
“We’ve had a lot of inquiries about people wanting to be tested, they want to come down for a quick short trip, so we’re just looking for opportunities to make that an option for Canadians,” says public health nurse Tiffany Boespflug, from Grand Forks’ Public Health department.
The test is something owner Cassandra Jamieson, of Brandon’s McPhail Travel agency, says can be a barrier for travellers.
“There’s so many families right now that want to travel but then we get into the cost of testing … $1,000, $2,000 later, and they kind of just walk away,” says Jamieson.
Jamieson says with the U.S. border being so close for many Manitoba residents, the travel bug has definitely become prominent. “The phones and emails don’t stop, people definitely have the travel bug and want to go.”
She says with the free option available for Canadians, she expects more people to take a trip. “It’s just crazy the amount of people who just want to go.”
Grand Forks Public Health says their free PCR tests take between 48 to 72 hours in turnaround time.
“We don’t want to have barriers for people to get tested, regardless of what their reason is. We really want to just identify those positive cases and isolate them,” says Boespflug. Canadians can pre-register for the test ahead of time, and don’t need to bring any specific type of ID.
“The option of having a no-cost test is important, especially as cases are still going through,” Boespflug said.
Rapid antigen tests are currently not accepted. The only tests Canadians can use to get back into the country are:
-PCR – Polymerase chain reaction
-Nucleic acid test (NAT) or Nucleic acid amplification test (NAATs)
-Reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP)
All three use a nasopharyngeal (NP) swab, nose swab, or saliva sample.
Jamieson says Mexico and Cuba appear to be popular getaway destinations right now. However, she anticipates Hawaii bookings will soon see a spike.
(Abigail Turner – Global News)
