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.
Dr. Katharine Smart, president of the national association, is urging the federal and provincial governments to take immediate action. The association is calling for short, controlled lockdowns, often called "firebreakers" or "circuit-breakers," which would close schools and non-essential businesses.
Questions remain about what the return to Parliament will look like for Canada's 338 representatives after the recent federal election saw the Liberals re-elected to a minority government.
The report comes less than a month after chief coroner Lisa Lapointe said January to June was the deadliest ever for drug toxicity in B.C. With data from July added, the report says the 1,204 suspected illicit drug toxicity deaths are the highest ever in the first seven months of a year — 28 per cent above the same period last year.
British Columbia has recorded another 652 cases of COVID-19 and 2 related deaths, according to an update posted after officials announced new regional restrictions for part of the Lower Mainland. There has been an uptick in coronavirus hospitalizations to 316, up from 303 on Monday, with 141 patients in ICU.
The committee recommends long-term care residents and people living in seniors' homes receive another shot of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine — like Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna — as long as it has been six months since their last shot.
A message left with his lawyer was not immediately returned and Movassaghi has not responded to the forfeiture action, but court documents show he has until mid-October to reply.
