Canada-US border town mayors urge for ending Covid test requirement for travellers
Darpan News Desk IANS, 09 Nov, 2021 11:46 AM
Ottawa, Nov 9 (IANS) Some border town Mayors on both sides of the Canada-US border held a virtual news conference to urge Ottawa to cancel the Covid-19 test requirement for fully vaccinated travellers.
The conference was held on Monday as the US reopened its land border with Canada to fully vaccinated recreational travellers after 19 months of closure, reports Xinhua news agency.
The reopening of the world's longest undefended border is seen as a sign that restrictions are loosening and more international leisure travel may be on the horizon.
The Mayors said a big obstacle for travellers still remains as when entering Canada, they must take a molecular test such as a PCR test, which can cost hundreds of dollars.
They said the requirement for a PCR test to return to Canada is unreasonable and costly, calling the requirement a hard stop barrier for families to reunite except for the wealthiest of Canadians.
They argued that while the US land border is now open, the cost of Canada's test requirement will continue to hamper a return to tourism on both sides of the border.
When entering Canada, no matter how short their trip, travellers must take a pre-arrival molecular Covid-19 test such as a PCR test, which can cost anywhere from C$150 to C$300.
Canada's test requirement first caused complaints earlier this month when the US announced it would reopen its land border to fully vaccinated travellers on November 8, and not require them to take a pre-arrival Covid-19 test.
Travellers heading into the US at major land border crossings experienced wait times of up to three hours in some areas on the first day in 20 months that fully vaccinated Canadians were allowed to cross for non-essential visits, according to CTV.
The issue is top of mind as an all-party committee decided last week that members of Parliament will need to be double vaccinated against COVID-19 or have a medical exemption to take their seat in the House of Commons.
The Vatican said in a statement that the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops invited the Pope to travel to Canada in the "context of the long-standing pastoral process of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples."
Vancouver police said in a series of posts on social media last week that there were 1,555 "unprovoked, stranger assaults" involving 1,705 victims reported between Sept. 1, 2020, and Aug. 31 this year.
“Anmol’s family is extremely concerned for his safety, and says disappearing in such a manner is not in his character,” says Cris Leykauf, spokesperson for Delta Police. She notes the family only moved to North Delta three months from outside BC, so Anmol is not that familiar with the area.
Adrian Dix said 1,369 of the unvaccinated workers are in the Interior region of the province, which has a total of about 126,000 health-care workers, and that overall vaccination rates are also low in Northern health.
There are 4,829 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 195,646 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 390 individuals are in hospital and 155 are in intensive care.
