Hawaii opens pre-travel COVID-19 testing program to Canadians

Canadian travelers looking to escape to the tropical state of Hawaii this winter have the option of bypassing the two-week COVID-19 quarantine requirement.

© The Associated Press
In this June 16, 2020 photo, a traveler wears a mask and goggles as he walks through Terminal 3 at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.

Hawaii Governor David Ige announced on Thursday a new testing protocol that will see travelers who have a negative coronavirus test result within 72 hours of their scheduled flight not being required to quarantine upon arrival.

Read more: Alberta introduces the COVID-19 pilot project that could reduce quarantine times for international travel

Travelers can take advantage of the program starting Tuesday 24 November.

According to Ige, if the test results “from a trusted test partner” are not available before the scheduled boarding time, “the traveler must quarantine for 14 days, or the length of stay, whichever is shorter”.

“We are adding this safety precaution now in response to the dramatically increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the continental United States and around the world,” Ige said Thursday.

He said that for the most part, those who take advantage of Hawaii’s pre-trip testing program launched in October arrive with negative test results in hand. However, in about 10% of cases, people are told they are positive for COVID-19 after they land in Hawaii.

Read more: Canada introduces new COVID-19 rules that are mandatory for international travelers

The new testing program has been rolled out in partnership with WestJet and Air Canada, with WestJet stating on its website that paid testing will be performed by DynaLIFE labs.

The tests will cost $ 150 and are only available in Alberta, but are open to all Canadians, WestJet said. According to the airline, DynaLIFE tests are administered at participating pharmacies.

Officials said it was too early to estimate how many Canadians could benefit from the new initiative.

The testing schedule comes just two days after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau advised Canadians not to travel overseas.

“The pandemic continues to cause significant challenges around the world, including in the southern United States, and people are safer when they stay at home in Canada,” Trudeau said.

“Obviously, if people choose to go, that’s their choice, but they need to make sure they have good health insurance, good travel insurance – even that they make sure that wherever they go, there is enough health care capacity that doesn’t start. be overwhelmed if something goes wrong. “