Highest syphilis rate since the 40’s, staying in the states keeps looking better and better.
U.S. Border reopens August 9! What effect do you think that'll have?
- Thread starter jmioffe
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is this heaven, no its montreal. so good to be back. got my negative covid test and drove across the border at champlain. the most difficult part was getting the neg covid test within 72 hrs of crossing the border. well its free, so i guess you get what you pay for. i started out getting my test at cvs pharmacy but soon realized that the 1-2 days turnaround they posted on the website was not always the case. so one day into the test i got a second test at an urgent care associated with the local hospital and that came back the same day. it appears that you can get multiple covid test free- even two at virtually the same time! (at least there were no red flags when i signed up for the second test.) so a strategy might be taking two tests and increasing your odds of getting one back within 72 hrs. filling out arrivecan ahead of time was easy except for the quarantine questions. for my quarantine site, i put down the address of a friend in montreal with her permission however when i entered the address it continually auto corrected to a different address, so i just went with the wrong address. it didnt seem to matter as i was never asked about the quarantine at the border. i think this portion of the form is a left over relic and not applicable to our travel. so you could probably put anything down within reason. other than the vaccination and covid test, the border crossing was no different than pre-pandemic. note that there was no wait at the border and the border agent indicated that the number of us citizens crossing the border was increasing very gradually, no mad rush.
Flying into Montreal was easy. Just have to have PCR test and upload info (including vaccination card) into ArriveCAN app. They verified my ArriveCAN and PCR test info at the airport before issuing a boarding pass. On arrival, the border agent looked briefly at my documents, explained that I didn’t have to quarantine, but I was randomly selected for antigen testing
Going back you need an antigen test within 3 days. Ordered a kit from optum with web verification. Much less than testing by Biron at airport. Still have a few days before I have to return.
Going back you need an antigen test within 3 days. Ordered a kit from optum with web verification. Much less than testing by Biron at airport. Still have a few days before I have to return.
Americans traveling frequently should just get eMed in advance. It’s $150 USD for a pack of 6 tests self conducted and monitored remotely. This is valid for returning to US.
eMed
did reasonably well pacing myself, only over did it once. four great days of indulgence and now ready to get back to work with some good memories.
the drive back to the us was uneventful. i didnt need a covid test to drive past the border and the border agent didnt ask any covid questions- just the standard questions. i was surprised that every car was being sniffed by their dog-- maybe the dog needed some work. traffic at the champlain border crossing was light for a sunday afternoon and i got through fairly quickly even though there was only one lane open
well, this sucks. sounds like it'll get worse after getting just slightly better.
This only effects Canadians coming to the states, correct? If it does, you can still fly just like Canadians could all throughout the pandemic. US citizens to the best of my knowledge can still travel to Canada.
yes, I just worry that border actions are often reciprocal, so it's just a matter of time before Canada does the same.
Interesting point. I think (hope) that it’s not that easy to close the border again after it’s been opened. Why the US hasn’t reciprocated by opening up the border to Canada is beyond me.
Just a followup on flying out of Montreal back to the states. You are supposed to have a negative COVID test to travel (antigen test qualifies), and you can use the BinaxNow test; however, I think you need the version with eMed for web based monitoring of you during the test and certification of the result. The stand alone at home testing version is advertised as not meeting CDC requirements for US entry.
At the airport I had to attest that you have a negative test within 3 days. However, the border agents did not ask for proof of this (and I had to go through twice as my original flight was cancelled). A friend coming back from Europe had a similar experience, paying for testing for return, but not needing to show any documentation of this. The airline (Air Canada) also required a written declaration of negative status, which they collected before starting boarding (in theory, someone could have been out of the gate area when this was done and be back in time for boarding; I do not know how they verified each passenger).
The departures to the US portion of the airport is rather deserted. Less than 10 flights scheduled, clustered around 6pm. I was told to come to the airport 3hrs in advance in case of long waits for extra screening, but there was no need. The lack of passengers also meant that most of the shops were closed. There does not appear to be a big wave of tourists from the US going into Montreal.
At the airport I had to attest that you have a negative test within 3 days. However, the border agents did not ask for proof of this (and I had to go through twice as my original flight was cancelled). A friend coming back from Europe had a similar experience, paying for testing for return, but not needing to show any documentation of this. The airline (Air Canada) also required a written declaration of negative status, which they collected before starting boarding (in theory, someone could have been out of the gate area when this was done and be back in time for boarding; I do not know how they verified each passenger).
The departures to the US portion of the airport is rather deserted. Less than 10 flights scheduled, clustered around 6pm. I was told to come to the airport 3hrs in advance in case of long waits for extra screening, but there was no need. The lack of passengers also meant that most of the shops were closed. There does not appear to be a big wave of tourists from the US going into Montreal.
Zelafan, thanks for posting about Binax. Was just reading about it being a viable option and came to post it here, but glad you beat me to it. A single test is $24, which is far cheaper than what I paid. You're also right that you need the telehealth observation version. But make sure you have a good Internet connection and take the test with ample time before departure because the delta surge has caused long telehealth wait times
I also flew Air Canada, but my completed declaration of negative status is currently sitting in my backpack as we speak. They made a deal about filling one out & even had someone ensuring that returning US passengers had completed one on the way to the boarding gates, but they never collected mine.
I also flew Air Canada, but my completed declaration of negative status is currently sitting in my backpack as we speak. They made a deal about filling one out & even had someone ensuring that returning US passengers had completed one on the way to the boarding gates, but they never collected mine.
Has anyone used this pcr test to enter Canada? $40 self test sold by Amazon. It comes with prepaid ups next day shipping label and you get results from from Amazon’s lab within 24 hours upon them receiving your sample. I read a few q&a on the product page with people saying they used it for entering Canada. Wondering if anyone here can confirm it is acceptable?
Amazon.com: Amazon COVID-19 Test Collection Kit DTC — Sample processed in lab — Results in 24 hours from lab receipt — FDA Authorized PCR Test — Ages 18+ : Industrial & Scientific
Amazon.com: Amazon COVID-19 Test Collection Kit DTC — Sample processed in lab — Results in 24 hours from lab receipt — FDA Authorized PCR Test — Ages 18+ : Industrial & Scientific
www.amazon.com
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Have family in Montreal and vaccinated for covid . I will hopefully be able to visit Montreal in September . I will not pay inflated rates. I will do my research and plan accordingly
Just an update. I crossed the border yesterday by car at the Derby Line VT/Stanstead QC station from I91. I used this test with no issues. Border crossing was a breeze. I handed the officer my passport , vaccine card, negative COVID test result, and my ArriveCAN receipt. Just the usual questions by the officer (Where are you from/where are you going/want are you doing in MTL, etc) I got asked about the address that I provided for a place of quarantine in the ArriveCan app. I told them it was my hotel in Montreal. I was never told nor asked to take a random COVID test.
why did you need a place of quarantine if you had the vaccine and a negative test?
Probably left over requirement; before the border opened, was mandatory quarantine with crossing. Now you don't need to, except maybe if you are randomly selected on entry and test positive.
I guess the NY border is a more larger entryway to Canada which is why they had the "random" tests. On my way back to the US, it couldn't have been easier. Showed my Global Entry credentials and skated on through.
Update on the other side of the border. The "random" testing area was open going into Canada with mucho cars going through it. I guess going through Vermont may be the way to go.
Those are the rules. When you complete your ArriveCan form on the app it specifically asks the question about where you will quarantine. It doesn't mean you will have to quarantine, it's just a plan just in case I guess.
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