Is getting a COVID test every time you travel, really a huge inconvenience? How often do you travel out of the country? Every day? Every week? Every month? I get a rapid test every single day. It's no big deal.
Yes, it is a huge deal and a huge waste of my hobby budget having a swab stuck up my nose for no reason. I am triple vaccinated, people like me should be exempt returning to our home country.
I want to take several trips this year. Why the F do I need to spend an $1,000 on stupid tests that do NOTHING to stop or slow the spread of covid.
I should note that the Mayor's of Cities/Towns that border the US want all testing at the Borders dropped for full vaccinated as it is killing their local businesses.
Southwestern Ontario border mayors, groups call for end to COVID-19 testing at land crossings
Mayors of southwestern Ontario border cities, along with a U.S. counterpart, and tourism groups are calling on Ottawa to end any COVID-19 testing at land border crossings.
Mayors of Windsor, Niagara Falls and Sarnia in Ontario and Niagara Falls, N.Y, the Tourism Industry Association of Canada and the Hotel Association of Canada held a news conference Friday underlining the economic losses due to the border testing "barrier."
"The practicality of the loosening of this restriction really means nothing to the average traveller," Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said during Friday's news conference.
"So I think what we need to do is trust Canadians to make smart decisions. We've asked people to get vaccinated, that is the high water mark here of the pandemic. But having a requirement for a test is really an optical illusion for safety. It really is providing no real protection."
Dilkens and his counterparts said the science doesn't support testing of this kind and it remains a barrier for those looking to cross land borders between the U.S. and Canada.
The tourism industry has been one of the hardest-hit sectors amid the pandemic, said Beth Potter, president of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada.
A $105-billion-a-year industry has "basically been cut in half."
"This is the planning cycle for the summer and we're hearing very much from our American counterparts that Canada is closed for business," said Potter. "We have a real challenge ahead of us to prove we're not only open for business, but removing those barriers so that we are open for business."
"Their businesses are hanging on by a thread and we're looking for predictability. If we miss this season, there is no industry standing on the other side of this," said Susie Grynol, president and chief executive officer of the Hotel Association of Canada.
Restaino said mayors and officials on both sides of the border have been leaders in their communities making sure COVID-19 vaccines are a top priority for their communities. Now, he said, it's time to relax the rules.
"Now that we've done our part, help us to sustain our economies, to do the things that help make our locations exciting for travellers."
No need for me to call my doctor. JT and PAWG Ford need to pull their heads out of their asses and move on from Covid. As you rightfully noted, Omicron is not all that lethal. There is no longer any reason to act like we are walking through a field of landmines. The risk from Omicron is pretty low.