Ottawa is funding COVID-19 PCR tests for hundreds of thousands of travellers. Is it worth it? – CBC

Although Omicron has spread across Canada, the government continues to do mass arrival testing of travellers

Jan 13, 2022

When David Frid of Gananoque, Ont., received a mandatory government-funded COVID-19 PCR test at Toronto’s Pearson airport on Jan. 1, he said it seemed like a waste of money.

Frid believed the chances of him testing positive were low, because he had already tested negative after taking a pre-departure PCR test in Mexico before flying home. He also argues that testing travellers upon arrival is pointless, because the Omicron variant has already spread across Canada.

“I can’t imagine the amount of money and resources that they put into this,” said Frid whose arrival test came back negative. “It’s a total waste.”

Some medical experts also question Ottawa’s arrival testing program, arguing that instead of testing thousands of travellers daily, those resources could be better used to help fight the surging Omicron variant on the home front.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/travel-pcr-test-government-1.6311868