Canadian Snowbirds heading home-Antigen Rapid Tests required

[Canuck_Travelle]

Seeing that soon there will be a swell of Canadian Snowbirds heading home and seeing the protocol at the border is a requirement of a certified Rapid Test (Antigen) test not more than 24 hours prior to crossing has anyone crossed yet or know of anyone crossing?

Anyone have any more info on this like did they or do they know of anyone crossing, where did they get the test, costs, was it certified, was there any problem at the border showing the Border personnel the test and acceptance.

Really appreciate any info, thanks....

[Canuck_Travelle]

joebedford wrote:
I didn't leave Canada the last two winters. I had no trouble getting back in.

Neither did I but When I do I don't want any silly unnecessary rules returning and also want to make it easier for my USA neighbour's to come here, spend their money and spread some of their wealth and not turn them away with unnecessary rules.

[joebedford]

I didn't leave Canada the last two winters. I had no trouble getting back in.

[pawatt]

Please try to keep politics out of this as it is a violation of forum rules.
Thank You.

[moisheh]

Silversand. I really think that the only reason this testing fiasco has not been killed is politics. Our leader( no caps intentional) wants to control everything. Did you have any trouble getting a test that would still be valid when you crossed?

[lbrjet]

JaxDad wrote:

silversand wrote:
Look to Denmark for sane policy at this stage in the pandemic.

Denmark might not be the best place to use as an example when it comes to COVID policy.

On October 31st they had a daily case count of 1,500 new cases.

Shortly thereafter they dropped the Vax passport and a host of other restrictions.

By January 29th they had a daily case count of over 41,000 new cases.

And your point? New York state ADDED many restrictions and still got the same outcome. Oct 31 2,907 cases. Jan 8th 79,777 cases. Almost exactly the same increase.

[Canuck_Travelle]

silversand wrote:

Moisheh wrote:
Tourism in Canada is only 1/3 of pre covid. The rapid test requirement serves no purpose but is killing tourism and hassling Canadians``

....Moisheh. We just completed the ArriveCAN online version. We are heading back to Canada later in March. Very interesting experience. Absolutely HORRIBLE experience. Maybe the phone app is more intuitive? If I was a US visitor to Canada, I would avoid Canada at all costs. Extremely frustrating. We could not get a confirm that we had uploaded our vaccination documents into ArriveCAN !

I have been getting reports from Canadians driving back across the border from the US, saying that Canadian Customs does not even care about ArriveCAN; the border agents are ONLY asking for your "proof of negative test" on your phone screen. What does that tell you about the efficacy of this screening process? It is a CATASTROPHE. That's what.



Canada better pull this disastrous ArriveCAN process.

I will report exactly what transpires as/after we cross back.

Update: ........finally, my wife managed to get our proof of registration that we ARE ARRIVING at the border, and we meet the criteria. This, after 1 hour and 20 minutes putzing around with the **** online version.

Thanks very much for this,I am sending all these posts to my MP in hopes that he can raise some interest with the Federal powers to be to change this horrid practice, he said he's working on it, any relevant posts PLEASE put them on here, this foolishness has got to be stopped!

[silversand]

Moisheh wrote:
Tourism in Canada is only 1/3 of pre covid. The rapid test requirement serves no purpose but is killing tourism and hassling Canadians``

....Moisheh. We just completed the ArriveCAN online version. We are heading back to Canada later in March. Very interesting experience. Absolutely HORRIBLE experience. Maybe the phone app is more intuitive? If I was a US visitor to Canada, I would avoid Canada at all costs. Extremely frustrating. We could not get a confirm that we had uploaded our vaccination documents into ArriveCAN !

I have been getting reports from Canadians driving back across the border from the US, saying that Canadian Customs does not even care about ArriveCAN; the border agents are ONLY asking for your "proof of negative test" on your phone screen. What does that tell you about the efficacy of this screening process? It is a CATASTROPHE. That's what.

Canada better pull this disastrous ArriveCAN process.

I will report exactly what transpires as/after we cross back.

Update: ........finally, my wife managed to get our proof of registration that we ARE ARRIVING at the border, and we meet the criteria. This, after 1 hour and 20 minutes putzing around with the **** online version.

With 1 in 10 Canadian jobs directly tied to "tourism" in Canada, in 2019, Canadian tourism earned 104.9 $ billion, and experienced an 82.5% drop in revenue in 2020 (but this is understandable, because no vaccines existed then). Imagine how much revenue was lost in 2021? When Canadians were almost entirely unvaccinated up until June/July of 2021, because Canada could NOT get sufficient vaccines ? Even worse, the Canadian border only opening in the 3rd quarter to US in-coming road visitors (let alone ANY foreign flyers)? I will guestimate 90 $ billion lost. In 2022? Not yet known, not even guessable. The Canadian taxpayer is on the hook for $1.7 trillion in Covid mitigation costs, plus appx $90 billion in lost tourism revenue when incoming vaccines were deployed very late in the game. I'm not saying that Covid mitigation costs should have been zero, however, Federal latency may have cost Canadians ~~ $1 trillion more than it should have cost. This will eventually come out in the wash, as investigative journalists get a better handle on mismanagement, and inappropriate use of draconian lock-down measures over the next several years.

[moisheh]

No problem Canuck. It is an interesting discussion and it should continue. I saw something online yesterday about a meeting with tourism companies, business leaders and more Apparently April 1 is when Canada announces any changes. Tourism in Canada is only 1/3 of pre covid. The rapid test requirement serves no purpose but is killing tourism and hassling Canadians``

[Canuck_Travelle]

moisheh wrote:
Chuck traveler> I think you misunderstood my post. I think the discussion should continue. But the forum owners dislike any political discussions. Closing has nothing to do with me! I am just another poster.

My fault in not being clearer, I didn't mean you, I meant whoever calls the shot on abuse of the board, I have seen many of your posts and they do not IMO ever contradict common courtesy, sorry for not being clear.
Actually I looked at my previous post this morning and intended on getting back to you as it was a bit unclear on its meaning.

[JaxDad]

silversand wrote:
JaxDad:

The global health world, the media, and politics are all transfixed by COVID … and yet we pay very little attention to a disease that is still killing over 400,000 people every year, mainly children,” Pedro Alsonso, director of the WHO’s malaria program, told reporters at a briefing on Sunday, according to Reuters

There are many pathogens killing many, many fold more than Covid in least developed countries. Unless you completely shut down air travel, and shutter the entire global airline industry (plus the tens of millions of environmental and conflict refugees per year), pathogens will always be hitch hiking...forever. so, the planet's human population will have absolutely no choice but to live with said pathogen spread. The virus won with Omicron. There is absolutely nothing humans can do to prevent its spread. I am 100% for vaccines, but fast mutating viruses will always win the race. These viruses spread world wide magnitudes faster than humans can deploy vaccine. Site Covid Omicron.

Testing at airports and land border crossings will do absolutely zero towards mitigating viruses like Omicron from spreading globally. Maybe slow the spread by milliseconds (a few days).

You are of course correct, but we’re really not concerned about things malaria, Chikungunya, zika, malaria or tuberculosis coming into Canada in any significant numbers.

[moisheh]

Chuck traveler> I think you misunderstood my post. I think the discussion should continue. But the forum owners dislike any political discussions. Closing has nothing to do with me! I am just another poster.

[Canuck_Travelle]

moisheh wrote:
Careful or this thread will likely be closed!

No names on my part but if feelings are hurt that easy and possibly throwing money away to US Drug Stores on a $2 Rapid Test that is sometimes way overcharged is a great way to spend your money when there is no need, sure close it.

And maybe a little discussion is good, when I put this on a few days ago there had been no submissions on the Snowbird area of the RV Forum since February 03....37 days ago.....hmmmmm

[moisheh]

Careful or this thread will likely be closed!

[joebedford]

That was O'Toole, right?

[silversand]

JaxDad:

The global health world, the media, and politics are all transfixed by COVID … and yet we pay very little attention to a disease that is still killing over 400,000 people every year, mainly children,” Pedro Alsonso, director of the WHO’s malaria program, told reporters at a briefing on Sunday, according to Reuters

There are many pathogens killing many, many fold more than Covid in least developed countries. Unless you completely shut down air travel, and shutter the entire global airline industry (plus the tens of millions of environmental and conflict refugees per year), pathogens will always be hitch hiking...forever. so, the planet's human population will have absolutely no choice but to live with said pathogen spread. The virus won with Omicron. There is absolutely nothing humans can do to prevent its spread. I am 100% for vaccines, but fast mutating viruses will always win the race. These viruses spread world wide magnitudes faster than humans can deploy vaccine. Site Covid Omicron.

Testing at airports and land border crossings will do absolutely zero towards mitigating viruses like Omicron from spreading globally. Maybe slow the spread by milliseconds (a few days).