Are we going to see PCR tests for travel become obsolete? Possibly! Heres the story:
PCR tests are part of the new normal for anyone travelling in and out of Canada, and some Canadian doctors are saying it’s time to end them.
According to a release from the Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable, they and a group of doctors feel that it’s time for the federal government to “remove unnecessary and non-science-based obstacles to international travel, such as the pre-departure and on-arrival PCR tests for fully vaccinated travellers.”
In the release, Dr. Zain Chagla, Infectious Diseases Physician and Associate Professor at McMaster University, said that “COVID-19 testing at the border does not make any sense.”
“Travel is no more risky than other activities, and there is no scientific reason to single it out,” they said.
“When first put in place, Canada’s travel rules were designed to keep COVID-19 out of the country. Now that the virus is here and community spread is responsible for approximately 99 per cent of all infections, the rules governing travel are obsolete,” said Dr. Chagla..
Dr. Dominik Mertz, Division Director of Infectious Diseases at McMaster University, agrees that as the pandemic has changed, the travel requirements should have changed, too.
“There are higher risk, domestic settings that vaccinated people can access without testing than travelling internationally,” Dr. Mertz said.
“The travel barriers the federal government has put in place to slow the arrival of COVID-19 no longer make sense and should be eliminated,” they said.
“PCR tests often deliver positive results for weeks to a couple of months after a COVID-19 diagnosis.”
As part of its guidance on COVID-19 testing for travellers, Canada currently advises that you avoid non-essential travel outside Canada.
The pre-entry test, with proof of a negative result within 72 hours of land entry or scheduled flight, is still required for most travellers.
What do you think? Keep the testing in place or scrap it? Let’s chat on facebook @Pulse1077!