Travelling amid Omicron: What COVID-19 tests are needed to get to Canada, U.S.
Global News
PCR? Rapid antigen? Many travellers say they're still uncertain about which COVID-19 tests they need to enter either country amid the flurry of new restrictions.
In an effort to stem the spread of the new Omicron COVID-19 variant, Canada, the United States and many other countries have rushed to enforce new testing requirements at their borders — leaving Canadians and many other international travellers scrambling to figure out or rethink their holiday travel plans.
On Thursday, President Joe Biden announced sweeping changes to the U.S. COVID-19 testing policy for international travellers, requiring everyone flying into the country to present a negative COVID-19 test taken within one day of departure.
Earlier this week, the Canadian government also presented a handful of new restrictions and changes to its travel policy — most notably the introduction of a new on-arrival test for all travellers not coming from the U.S. While waiting for their test results, travellers are expected to isolate.
Here’s everything you need to know about the COVID-19 tests you need before travelling to the U.S., or coming back to Canada.
Many travellers say they’re still uncertain about which tests they need to enter either country amid the flurry of new restrictions.
Currently, there are two different types of COVID-19 tests — diagnostic, otherwise known as viral, and antibody.
Diagnostic tests are used to show if a person, at the time of the test, has a COVID-19 infection. Samples for these tests are usually taken either with a nasal or throat swab, or using saliva spit into a tube.
The two most common COVID-19 tests under this category are those of the molecular polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests and rapid antigen tests.