Travel agencies flooded with requests after Ottawa says it will drop pre-arrival PCR test for travellers

Travel agents are being flooded with requests from Canadians eager to book vacations now that the federal government has said it will drop pre-arrival PCR tests for fully vaccinated travellers as of Feb. 28

Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos announced Tuesday that travellers will still be required to take a pre-arrival test for COVID-19, but they can instead opt for an authorized rapid antigen test taken no more than one day before their scheduled flight or arrival at the land border. 

Antigen tests are generally cheaper and more widely available than a molecular test and can provide results within minutes. 

Also starting Feb. 28, unvaccinated children under the age of 12 entering Canada with fully vaccinated parents will no longer have to avoid schools, daycare or other crowded settings for 14 days, said Duclos.

Several travel agents say they're having trouble keeping up with a swell of demand now that travel rules are changing.

"I'm getting so many bookings, I'm not sure if I can handle all my clients," said Katherine Velan, a travel agent with Direct Travel in Montreal.

Shalene Dudley, owner of Latitude Concierge Travels based in Burlington, Ont., said her "email has blown up" with people wanting to travel for spring break within the last 24 hours.

Both said Canada's current travel rules, which require travellers entering Canada to show proof of a negative molecular test taken within 72 hours of their departing flight or planned arrival at the land border, have been a huge deterrent to Canadians wanting to travel.

"Of all the measures, that one's been the bane of our existence as travel agents," said Velan.

She said many clients avoided taking trips because of how difficult — and expensive — it could be to take a PCR test abroad.

 A PCR test can range in price from $150 to $300. It can also be difficult to get test results within the specified 72 hours, as they typically must be processed in a lab. 

"The problem previously was that the PCR [test] was hard to find, depending on the country you went to," said Dudley.

"There was a limited supply. Sometimes the labs didn't have a good enough turnaround time, and often travellers were stuck or had to pay hundreds of dollars per person to get help."

But the rapid tests will need to be carried out by a laboratory or health-care entity, so home tests won't be allowed.