COVID-19 testing projects open up travel during pandemic upswing
New programs will give travellers chance to skip required 14-day quarantine
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, Canadians were told to stay home and avoid non-essential international travel.
Officially, that guidance has not changed. As Canada and other nations around the world deal with surging case counts during this second wave of the virus, the federal government's formal recommendation continues to be that non-essential travel outside the country should be avoided.
Yet at the same time, in recent weeks, a number of new testing programs have been unveiled that will give travellers an opportunity to skip the cumbersome mandatory 14-day quarantine periods on either end of a trip — a move the travel industry said is essential to get people moving again and save Canada's ailing airline industry.
It seems like a contradiction, especially here in Alberta, which currently leads the country in COVID-19 cases and just this week declared a new state of emergency as well as a suite of new mandatory restrictions and public health measures.
Despite the dire state of the pandemic in this province, Alberta is the first jurisdiction in the country to test a program that is using rapid COVID-19 testing at airports and border crossings to reduce the risk of transmission of the virus.
The federally backed pilot project — currently being offered at Calgary International Airport and the Coutts land border crossing — will allow incoming travellers who receive a negative result with a rapid test upon arrival to avoid the 14-day quarantine requirement, as long as they get a second test six or seven days later and continuously monitor for symptoms.
The announcement of that program last month was praised by the Alberta government, as was a recent announcement by Calgary-based Westjet that it has reached an agreement with the government of Hawaii for a preflight COVID testing program. Individuals who pay for a test 72 hours before their flight and get a negative result can then avoid quarantining upon their arrival in Hawaii.
While Air Canada has a similar agreement with Hawaii that has testing sites available in Alberta, B.C., Ontario and Quebec, WestJet's program is currently only available in Alberta.
This, combined with the federal pilot program at YYC and Coutts, means that Albertans have more opportunities than other Canadians right now to travel abroad and avoid a mandatory quarantine.
“It looks like a complete contradiction, but we need to be a bit reserved in our criticism,” said Barry Prentice, a professor of supply chain management at the University of Manitoba. “Life must go on, and a certain amount of business travel and some family travel is needed. And the decision about the federal pilot project at the Calgary airport would have been made before the current surge in cases began.”
Prentice said Hawaii, which currently has a significantly lower COVID-19 positivity rate than Alberta, is taking on a certain amount of risk by welcoming Canadian travellers, as is Alberta with its rapid test pilot at YYC. A negative test, while it may offer some peace of mind, is a snapshot in time and not a guarantee of a clean bill of health.
“But the tourist destinations are desperate. Hawaii obviously needs the money,” Prentice said. “And from a Canadian perspective, the logic of the airlines and the airports is, ` We are literally dying.' They just cannot continue to function with 10 per cent of their normal activity.”
Dr. Daniel Gregson, a professor at the University of Calgary's Cumming School of Medicine who specializes in infectious disease and microbiology, said with these types of travel programs, there is always the chance that someone could test negative and then be infected on their way through the airport or while taking public transit to their accommodations.
“Getting a test three days before I get on an airplane is really not that meaningful,” Gregson said. “The test is good for that day — it doesn't tell you how you're going to be the next day.”
However, Gregson said there has actually been very little evidence so far of COVID-19 transmission among passengers travelling by air.
“The airplane itself is probably a less risky activity than going to a restaurant and sitting there without a mask on,” he said.
Speaking to reporters earlier this month, Canada's top public health official, Dr. Theresa Tam, said while there have been instances of Covid-19-infected people who have travelled to Canada by air, there have been few documented cases of the virus actually being spread on a plane.
She said that is likely due to the strict cleaning measures airlines have implemented, the specialized filtration systems they use to ensure clean airflow throughout the cabin, and the fact passengers must wear masks while on board.
According to Westjet spokeswoman Lauren Stewart, the airline has seen double-digit increases in bookings since the two programs — the Hawaii program and the YYC rapid-testing program — were announced.
The airline has seen a steep drop in demand due to COVID-19, and continues to fly only around 25 per cent of its schedule compared with 2019. As well, 135 of the 181 aircraft in Westjet's fleet remain parked.
“(These programs) are an important step towards getting this industry back on its feet and supporting Canadians looking to safely travel abroad,” Stewart said in an email.
“We are looking forward to the successful implementation of these types of science-based programs across Canada.”
Calgary-based travel agent Ken Stewart, owner of Crowfoot Travel Solutions, recently returned from a work-related trip to Cancun and received a rapid test through YYC'S pilot program upon his return. He said the experience was smooth and enabled him to return to the
office within days instead of quarantining at home.
Stewart said the availability of the Hawaii program and the YYC rapid-testing program have led to an uptick in inquiries about winter travel from his clients. However, he said while the YYC program is free, the Hawaii program costs $150 per passenger.
“Travelling is safe, I really do think it is safe.
“But you have to be practical and observe the protocols that are being set out at your destination,” Stewart said.
“And then it really comes down to, `Do I feel comfortable and confident,' which is going to be a decision made by each individual, and, `Can I financially afford what I want to do?' ”