Canada reinstates PCR testing requirement for cross-border trips less than 72 hours

Changes announced Friday mean cross-border travellers will be required to get a PCR test in order to return to Canada, ending an exemption that was in place for short trips.

Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos said the feds will be reinstating the testing requirement on Tuesday. The requirement had been waived for trips less than 72 hours.

“Now is not the time to travel,” he said.

“The requirement for pre-arrival testing will therefore be in place again for all trips of all durations. It is important to note that this pre-arrival test will need to be taken in a country other than Canada. I know that we are all sick of this pandemic. I know that this is psychologically and mentally difficult. We’ve gone this far now is not the time to give up.”

JUST IN: Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos says federal government is re-introducing molecular COVID test requirement, ending the exemption for those leaving the country for less than 72 hours. #cdnpoli #COVID19

— Martin MacMahon (@martinmacmahon) December 17, 2021

For people in B.C. heading across the line, this means they will no longer be able to get a test before leaving Canada, and will instead have to get tested in the U.S. Those tests can cost up to $300 each.

Canada continues to struggle to contain a surge in COVID-19 cases, and concern over the highly-transmissible Omicron variant has prompted several provinces to reintroduce restrictions.

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The news comes as a disappointment to people like Mynor Campos, who lives in Coquitlam and was planning a trip to Seattle to spend Christmas with his daughter and grandson.

“I’m not really surprised given this to the current conditions,” he said, adding Christmas is an important holiday for his family and he was looking forward to celebrating gathered around the table.

“For Latinos, you know, food and Christmas is a big deal. So it seems like now all those plans are on hold.”

He’s happy he was able to squeeze in a few short visits since the exemption came into effect Nov. 30, and says his heart goes out to families that were planning long-awaited reunions.

“Families that maybe were not able to make the trip before Christmas, and they were hoping to go down there for Christmas — now it seems to me like they won’t be able to do that.”

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The price of the PCR test has been one of the main factors deterring him from visiting for longer than 72 hours. A few weeks ago, he was quoted $385 per test, per person.

Although the prospect of spending another Christmas separated from his family is a sad one, Campos says he understands why the rules have changed.

“It almost seems like we are going back to square one. But at the same time, we are glad that healthwise we are okay, and we understand the situation. We don’t want to risk getting sick.”

“I just want to tell everyone that feels frustrated about this. ‘Hey, we have to do it together. We have to do it for our friends, for our family, and for the country.”