Key Takeaways:
- The federal government removed the requirement for vaccinated visitors to Canada to have a pre-entry negative COVID-19 test on Friday.
- According to Regina Airport Authority customer experience manager Justin Reves, the testing requirements limited people’s ability to travel here.
- In addition, Skyxe in Saskatoon is seeing roughly half the number of airline passengers that they would in a non-COVID year.
Travelers who have been vaccinated are one step closer to entering Canada.
On Friday, the federal government removed the requirement for a pre-entry negative COVID-19 test for vaccinated visitors to Canada.
According to the Canada Border Service Agency, all passengers may be subjected to random PCR testing at airports, but passengers are not required to isolate while waiting for results.
Both the Saskatoon as well as Regina airports say this is a significant step forward in the travel industry’s recovery.
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According to Regina Airport Authority customer experience manager Justin Reves, the testing requirements limited people’s ability to travel here.
“You’re taking the risk that if you tested positive for COVID, whether because you actively had it or because you had it before as well as hadn’t caught it with a test prior, you’d be stuck in another country for an additional 10 days,” Reves explained.
According to Reves, the move will also help individuals and families save money on travel.
“Imagine getting five molecular tests or rapid antigen tests for a family of five.” “Those can add up to money,” Reves said.
Although the number of passengers arriving in Regina is half that of pre-pandemic levels, Reves believes the future is bright, with airlines reporting that many seats are being booked.
“As we get closer to the summer, the airlines have been able to adapt.” We’re seeing around 90% of our pre-pandemic seats in the market, which means we’ll have a lot of great options,” Reves said.
Skyxe in Saskatoon is also seeing roughly half the number of airline passengers that they would in a non-COVID year.
Skyxe’s operational superiority According to Vice President Andrew Leeming, there is a lot of capacity accessible on Saskatoon flights, which means there are a lot of opportunities for people to travel.
“We’re expecting a significant increase throughout the summer,” Leeming said, “and that’s reflected in the number of flights that are coming into the market as well as into Saskatoon.”
According to Leeming, the federal government’s decision to eliminate the pre-entry testing requirement removes some of the uncertainty associated with travel.
“I think it opens up the possibilities for people who want to travel,” Leeming said.
The removal of the testing prohibition is also welcome news for border towns and cities.
Estevan Mayor Roy Ludwig called it a good sign.
“It’s great to see our American neighbors rising again, and things can slowly but steadily return to normal,” Ludwig said.
Source: Global News
