When Canada opened her borders to US travelers in August 2021, we decided to visit my brother and his family in Vancouver. We excitedly booked our air tickets and examined the necessary health protocols needed. Canada did not accept the rapid Covid test but needed all incoming visitors to have a PCR test. This is a Covid 19 molecular test that detects genetic material of the virus using a lab technique called polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The problem we encountered was that you had to have the test done within 72 hours of the time your final flight leaves the US for Canada. This three day window made it very difficult to get the test results back in time. Most pharmacies indicated that results would only be available between three and five days after the test. Not wanting to chance anything, we paid for our test through Passport Health and were able to receive the results after 48 hours. Once we had this in hand we downloaded an app called ArriveCAN. We uploaded all our covid vacination information and confirmed we received negative PCR test results. The app gave us a confirmation code which allowed us to travel into Canada. We also downloaded another app called Verifly. This allowed us to record our American Airline flight details, vacination and Covid tests results which facilitated our check-in at Tampa airport.
Fortunately, our flights took off without a hitch. We left Tampa in the early morning of August 14 and made our connection in Dallas for Vancouver. Our connecting flight took off within the required 72 hour window of our PCR tests. We arrived in Vancouver at noon and cleared Canadian immigration and health inspection fairly smoothly. The officer entered our arriveCAN reference number into his computer and appeared to be satisfied. He did check our Covid test results (we had paper as well as electronic copies with us) and then waved us through. As we want through and handed our immigration/customs forms to an officer at the exit gate, we were channeled through a different line. We were told we had been randomly selected for a Covid test! There was a long line of people randomly selected for the test. This additional line took twice as long, but happily, two and a half hours after landing in Vancouver we were out of the airport in my brother’s car making our way to his home in Maple Ridge.
It felt so good to be able to travel internationally again.
Educhirp 