Thought of the Day - November 22 2021 - The Spice Must Flow

With the US border fully open, Canada will be scrapping the PCR testing requirements for trips less than 72 hours ( Thought of the Day - November 9 2021 - The Border Is Open ). The plan is to drop this requirement at the end of the month; just in time for last-minute seasonal cross-border shopping.

As we have been talking about for quite some time, this test made little sense. Its only purpose was as a deterrent to travel. Why? You gotta' give COVID some time. If someone coughs on you today does not mean you will necessarily test positive by tomorrow. The testing, especially for short trips, has little to do with detecting foreign bugs.

As our Premier articulated a little while back ( Thought of the Day - October 29 2021 - Travel Tip From the Premiere ) if you are going for an overnight shopping spree, the best idea is to get tested in Canada before you leave. In fact, it is recommended to have your results in hand before you leave. Otherwise, like a friend of ours, you might find yourself in a compromising situation. She received a $5,700 fine upon reentering Canada when her US test results were lost (FYI the fine, like many contested COVID charges, was dropped last week).

There is now a lobby by the BC government to accelerate this change in testing requirements. Rather than just holiday gifts, the people in greater Vancouver could also shop for essentials - they could drive to get gas for example.

That said, I see there is good news on Highway 3. This was confirmed when our Okanagan wine delivery arrived today. Smart wineries were already using ATS Healthcare for their delivery as they had a better track record than Canada Post that seems incapable of delivering to the door. While of course not essential, bundled with other "supplies" the wine made it through!

Cheers

Cliff