Confusion at Canadian airports: Few details on COVID-19 testing rules for travellers
Confusion has been growing at some Canadian airports that say they want more direction from the federal government since it changed COVID-19 testing rules for travellers.
As health officials from around the world warned about the new Omicron variant, Ottawa announced earlier this week that all air passengers entering Canada, except those from the United States, need to be tested upon arrival and isolate until they get their results.
The rule also applies to those who are fully vaccinated against the virus.
But there have been few details on when testing will start.
Giovanni Taboylilson said he was tired and puzzled after arriving Thursday at Edmonton International Airport from Jamaica. He said he was told by airport officials during his layover in Toronto that new rules were kicking in at midnight
He said he was randomly selected for a test in Toronto, was told his results would be available in three days, and was allowed to continue to Edmonton.
“They stamped my passport and let me go through, so that's what made no sense,” the 25-year-old DJ said after visiting his family in Jamaica for eight months.
Taboylilson, who is fully vaccinated, said he tested negative in Jamaica before boarding his flight and wasn't told to get tested again or to quarantine once he arrived in Edmonton while waiting for his results.
Toronto's Pearson International Airport was telling travellers on Twitter that it was still waiting for more details on the new requirements.
“This new mandate has not yet been made official by our Federal Government,” the airport said on Twitter in response to a person's question about whether her husband would undergo testing and have to isolate after arriving in Canada.
“We are awaiting information as to when and how this will be executed.”
In Edmonton, an airport spokesman said staff are in talks with Transport Canada, which is working to bring in testing for all travellers as soon as possible.
“We don't have a set date for when testing will start, but we anticipate it will begin in the next several days,” Steve Maybee said in an email.
Lumturige Hijrullahu, who was travelling to Los Angeles from Edmonton, said she was confused because of changing regulations and unclear directions from the government.
“I'm not sure what we have to do when I'm back,” said Hijrullahu.
She said she's frustrated because she doesn't know what she will do when she returns in a week.
“If I knew it was going to be like this, (we would not have taken) this trip.”
A spokesperson for Calgary International Airport said it has been testing its international travellers since fall 2020.
“We have already started working with all of our partners to scale up operations to meet the new requirements announced on Tuesday,” said Krista Ouellette.
“We look forward to more details from federal officials with guidance on some outstanding questions.”
The president of the Canadian Airports Council urged the government to work with airports to make sure the measures - “which haven't been seen in detail” - are brought in.
“The only operationally feasible way to test 100 per cent of international arriving travellers - from all countries except the U.S. - is to provide off-site tests, such as those that travellers can take at their home or other point of self-isolation,” Daniel-Robert Gooch suggested.
“We also must ensure there is sufficient testing capacity to implement this across all of the traveller groups that now will be required.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 2, 2021.
- With files from Maan Alhmidi in Toronto and Daniela Germano in Edmonton
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
On federal budget, Macklem says 'fiscal track has not changed significantly'
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canada's fiscal position has 'not changed significantly' following the release of the federal government's budget.