It's One Day, Not 24 Hours

[Fouremco]

45 minutes ago, CruisinFinsUp said:

We are concerned about leaving the testing this late.  
I had read earlier on that there were some issues with false positives on the faster result tests.  
If you need a retest with the more accurate test, what do you do? You are out of time before your flight.   
Or are the tests now better?  I guess we won't know which test is being used and how reliable it is until we are tested.   
 

For example, recently  PescadoAmarillo had this situation happen to her on her recent cruise, as she reported in her blog.    With my luck, we'd be in her boat.  🙁  We will book the day before! 

Not that we have any choice here in Ottawa, but even if we could get tested at the airport, we'd still get tested the day before at a local pharmacy. That way we'd still have time for a retest or two if we had a false positive.

[sayvan]

So to be clear... If you have a flight at 5 pm on a Wednesday and leaving out of YYZ you take the test Wednesday morning  at the Airport you are good to not only use that test result for the Flight into the US but also (as of the rules today) for your cruise departing 2 days later. Am I understanding this correctly? Its actually within  one day and not the prior day to the initial departure. 

[Fouremco]

8 hours ago, sayvan said:

So to be clear... If you have a flight at 5 pm on a Wednesday and leaving out of YYZ you take the test Wednesday morning  at the Airport you are good to not only use that test result for the Flight into the US but also (as of the rules today) for your cruise departing 2 days later. Am I understanding this correctly? Its actually within  one day and not the prior day to the initial departure. 

If you are tested on Wednesday, you are good for boarding (on most cruise lines) on Thursday or Friday.

[powderhorn]

In PEI we have no private clinics offering testing...In the paper today the province addressed the 1 day window for travelling saying they can only commit to a 72 hour turnaround for results and suggested that travellers use the private sector rapid testing services set-up in the airports.

 

Our current itinerary has our first leg arriving at YYZ at 6:40AM with a 2 hour stopover to our flight to YVR arriving at 11AM with another 2 hour stopover to our flight to San Diego.

 

My research tells me we would have to leave the airport for a short commute to the testing facility. assuming a round trip to testing to take about 1 hour, that would leave us an hour to get back through security and get to our gate....in YVR that would also include clearing US customs. 

 

Given these timelines and options, what would you suggest we do in order to get our tests done within one day of our flight into US.....If we buy a self test, what would be the best plan B....YYZ or YVR?

 

Thanks in advance!

[GeriatricNurse]

14 minutes ago, powderhorn said:

In PEI we have no private clinics offering testing...In the paper today the province addressed the 1 day window for travelling saying they can only commit to a 72 hour turnaround for results and suggested that travellers use the private sector rapid testing services set-up in the airports.

 

Our current itinerary has our first leg arriving at YYZ at 6:40AM with a 2 hour stopover to our flight to YVR arriving at 11AM with another 2 hour stopover to our flight to San Diego.

 

My research tells me we would have to leave the airport for a short commute to the testing facility. assuming a round trip to testing to take about 1 hour, that would leave us an hour to get back through security and get to our gate....in YVR that would also include clearing US customs. 

 

Given these timelines and options, what would you suggest we do in order to get our tests done within one day of our flight into US.....If we buy a self test, what would be the best plan B....YYZ or YVR?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

[broberts]

1 hour ago, powderhorn said:

In PEI we have no private clinics offering testing...In the paper today the province addressed the 1 day window for travelling saying they can only commit to a 72 hour turnaround for results and suggested that travellers use the private sector rapid testing services set-up in the airports.

 

Our current itinerary has our first leg arriving at YYZ at 6:40AM with a 2 hour stopover to our flight to YVR arriving at 11AM with another 2 hour stopover to our flight to San Diego.

 

My research tells me we would have to leave the airport for a short commute to the testing facility. assuming a round trip to testing to take about 1 hour, that would leave us an hour to get back through security and get to our gate....in YVR that would also include clearing US customs. 

 

Given these timelines and options, what would you suggest we do in order to get our tests done within one day of our flight into US.....If we buy a self test, what would be the best plan B....YYZ or YVR?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Times are tight at both airports. The test site at YYZ is outside the secure zone. You will likely have to clear US border control in YVR. Which means collecting your checked baggage first. I don't think either airport is a good plan B, in fact I suspect with 2 hour layovers neither is doable.

 

Is getting a test in NS or NB possible?

[Fouremco]

The US requirement is for the test to be completed within one day of your flight. Therefore, a test taken at any time on the day before your cross-country jaunt will be perfectly acceptable. Consequently, I'd recommend that you do the self test in the comfort of your home the day before your flights, at whatever time you find to be most convenient.

 

Home testing is the easiest to do, and it will also allow you to relax on your flights and not worry about whether or not you will have time for testing along the way. But the biggest additional benefit is that you will know the result before ever heading to the airport. It would be bad enough having a positive test while still at home in PEI, but can you imagine how you'd feel if you spent the day travelling to Vancouver only to get a positive test there and have to return home.

 

 

[powderhorn]

8 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

The US requirement is for the test to be completed within one day of your flight. Therefore, a test taken at any time on the day before your cross-country jaunt will be perfectly acceptable. Consequently, I'd recommend that you do the self test in the comfort of your home the day before your flights, at whatever time you find to be most convenient.

 

Home testing is the easiest to do, and it will also allow you to relax on your flights and not worry about whether or not you will have time for testing along the way. But the biggest additional benefit is that you will know the result before ever heading to the airport. It would be bad enough having a positive test while still at home in PEI, but can you imagine how you'd feel if you spent the day travelling to Vancouver only to get a positive test there and have to return home.

 

 

I will look into testing in NB or NS...thanks.....I agree with the home testing option....are there ones better recommended / supported by the CDC?.....also, we may go get the test early morning at the provincial test centre and see if they get our results back in the evening...they have done this in the past for our Son visiting from San Diego back in August.....if we don't see anything back from them by say 8-9PM then do the self test later that night....how far in advance do you need to queue up the on-line assistant that oversees the testing?......Thanks

[Fouremco]

1 hour ago, powderhorn said:

I will look into testing in NB or NS...thanks.....I agree with the home testing option....are there ones better recommended / supported by the CDC?.....also, we may go get the test early morning at the provincial test centre and see if they get our results back in the evening...they have done this in the past for our Son visiting from San Diego back in August.....if we don't see anything back from them by say 8-9PM then do the self test later that night....how far in advance do you need to queue up the on-line assistant that oversees the testing?......Thanks

I'm not sure of what all the choices might be, but the Switch Health tests appear to be popular and are available in Canada. If you have Aeroplan, you get a discount plus points. https://switchhealth.ca/en/partners/aeroplan/#collectionKits

 

There have been occasional reports of problems with them, but that seems to be the case with all of the home kits. Length of time in the queue seems to very, but you'd probably have a shorter wait at night, as you are considering.

 

Amherst would probably your best bet if you want to test off island. There's a facility in Sackville, but they don't offer quick results. Here's a press release for Praxes' recently opened test site at the Amherst Pharmasave.  https://praxes.ca/2021/11/23/press-release-praxes-offers-covid-testing-in-amherst-nova-scotia/#page-content

 

Whatever you choose, I hope that you have a nice negative test and a great cruise!

[powderhorn]

2 hours ago, Fouremco said:

I'm not sure of what all the choices might be, but the Switch Health tests appear to be popular and are available in Canada. If you have Aeroplan, you get a discount plus points. https://switchhealth.ca/en/partners/aeroplan/#collectionKits

 

There have been occasional reports of problems with them, but that seems to be the case with all of the home kits. Length of time in the queue seems to very, but you'd probably have a shorter wait at night, as you are considering.

 

Amherst would probably your best bet if you want to test off island. There's a facility in Sackville, but they don't offer quick results. Here's a press release for Praxes' recently opened test site at the Amherst Pharmasave.  https://praxes.ca/2021/11/23/press-release-praxes-offers-covid-testing-in-amherst-nova-scotia/#page-content

 

Whatever you choose, I hope that you have a nice negative test and a great cruise!

Thanks for all the good research....I have a Sister in Amherst so will definitely check out that option (weather permitting)...we do have aeroplan so probably will give the Switch Health option a go as well....once we are in San Diego, our Son will queue up a test for us there and the timeline isn't so tight so can relax a little....biggest hurdle is this day before test result requirement...some encouraging reports of vaccine efficacy on Omicron so that may ease requirements before we go....who can say.....:-)

[kellk]

For the poster from PEI, wouldn't they have to have their negative rapid antigen test done before the first  flight departure on the way to the US, ie before their first flight from PEI? I thought this was a requirement of the airline during the check in process?

[Fouremco]

12 minutes ago, kellk said:

For the poster from PEI, wouldn't they have to have their negative rapid antigen test done before the first  flight departure on the way to the US, ie before their first flight from PEI? I thought this was a requirement of the airline during the check in process?

That's an interesting point. The CDC has no problem with you being tested along the way, so it really becomes a question of what your airline wants or is willing to do. In this case, if the airline objected, I suppose you could purchase two tickets, one PEI-Vancouver return and a second Vancouver-San Diego return. As testing en route was deemed impractical because of the limited time available during connections, your point just never arose, even though it's a good one.

 

This is what the CDC has to say:

 

[powderhorn]

16 hours ago, kellk said:

For the poster from PEI, wouldn't they have to have their negative rapid antigen test done before the first  flight departure on the way to the US, ie before their first flight from PEI? I thought this was a requirement of the airline during the check in process?

That's a good point....the Provincial government here recommended the in-transit option as they could only commit to a 72 hour turnaround....from past experience, we know they typically turnaround these results in under 12 hours, but you can never tell, right now they are testing the whole population of the eastern end of the island so that will mean delays for sure.....the advice and reality is that because of the short stopover times in YYZ and YVR, it would be risky to try the in-transit test option any way, so given that, we should probably get tested early morning at provincial test centre, and do the Switch Health self test later that night if we don't get the results back from the province.....a third option (most reliable) would be to go to Amherst day before and get the test done with Praxes at the Pharmasave there. I sent a note asking them if they had any written confirmation that their test report was accepted by US border officials and they side stepped it in their response.....anyone have an opinion on what testing companies are accepted and how major an issue this is?...if we show up at customs with certified negative antigen tests from Praxes....how liable would they question the validity of it?

 

Thanks again on your comments on this....it helps the anxiety level to have a solid plan....:-)

[Fouremco]

1 hour ago, powderhorn said:

I sent a note asking them if they had any written confirmation that their test report was accepted by US border officials and they side stepped it in their response.....anyone have an opinion on what testing companies are accepted and how major an issue this is?...if we show up at customs with certified negative antigen tests from Praxes....how liable would they question the validity of it?

Here is the information that the US requires in the test result:

Pretty basic information that I'm sure Praxes routinely includes. I'd recommend that you take your passport with you and ensure that your name on the report is identical to your name as listed in the passport. It also will enable Praxes to include both your DOB and passport number.

 

 

 

 

 

[powderhorn]

PEI gov't stepped up today with this annoncement....big relief to get this done here...as follows:

 

As of Tuesday, COVID-19 rapid molecular testing is now available for departing air travelers at the Charlottetown Airport. The service will be provided by the PEI Government from 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm daily. This testing will be provided at no charge on an interim basis until a private sector provider arrangement is available in early 2022. Many countries now require proof of a negative COVID-19 test prior to entry. For example, as of December 6th, anyone travelling to the United States is required to meet new entry requirements mandating travellers to present a negative COVID-19 test taken not more than one day prior to departure. Rapid molecular tests are accepted for travel to the U.S. Departure testing will not be provided for air travellers staying within Canada.  Rapid molecular test results will be provided within 30-60 minutes and passengers will also receive a document verifying proof of a negative test allowing them to board their flight the following day. Similar to what is taking place at other airports in the region, YYG will be working to secure a private sector partner to provide fee-based COVID-19 testing options for outbound passengers in early 2022. 

[Fouremco]

Great news! No need to pop over to Amherst now.