Travel to Canada and covid

[User7777]

So, the unthinkable has happened. Tested positive in an lft yesterday night. Which is great, as I'll be over it by the time I travel in 10 days. I'm fully vaccinated, will hopefully have no symptoms (and very unlikely to be infectious after 10 days), so I'm fit to fly according to Canada guidelines.
But, if I get pulled for random testing I'll test positive won't I. And I'll have to quarantine for my entire holiday. And they accept proof of recovery 10+ days before travel, but the date of the test would be today which is 9 days. So then technically I shouldn't travel, even though I can as its actually 10 days.
Spent the morning looking into changing flights etc, not getting much joy. I can cancel on my travel insurance but I don't need to as I'm technically fit to fly.
What can I do???? Anyone know how likely being chosen for random testing is???

But, if I get pulled for random testing I'll test positive won't I.

Not necessarily. Most people don't actually test positive for that long, especially in an LFT.
Whilst some people can test positive for linger it is less likely, and the amount of people testing positive reduces the linger the time goes in.

An LFT won't register for a covid recovery certificate. It has to be a PCR if I remember rightly.

We recently returned from Canada however were lucky to travel in the period where they paused the random testing. Before I knew that, I did find data online re the % of travellers being random tested which is set out by airport over different time periods. Sorry I can’t find the link but I think, from memory, it was average c5% at Toronto Pearson.

I found this www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/coronavirus-disease-covid-19/testing-screening-contact-tracing/summary-data-travellers.html

It reduces your visit to a lottery doesn’t it?

Agreed to go to a conference last month as travel restrictions looked doable. But now there's a risk of being randomly selected for a test, tests are now off-site so if you have an evening arrival you've got to schlep somewhere the next day to take a test. That's before the risk of testing positive and having to quarantine for 10 days. And the ridiculous thing is you might not get the results until day 4 by which time I'd have spent three days in a conference centre with hundreds of other people! Looking at how much money I can recover if I cancel now.

@Mariposa80
In Canada, we had a flight from Vancouver to Prince Rupert the next morning. It’s truly awful!

Yes. You need a pcr test to get a recovery very. The timings for that are dire too.,

Well, my son has now tested positive too so I think we need to cut our losses.
Why is Canada doing random testing and isolation though? Surely it would be better to test before getting on a plane with hundreds of others? And when you can isolate at home instead of in another country? Makes no sense at all.

@User7777
Oh dear. I didn’t get COVID from
DH when he had it in March snd he didn’t get it again when I had it in early June. I was also with DD when I didn’t know I had it. She didn’t get it and has never had it. Her worst “illness”
was the first jab. It’s so random! Yes. I think you need your instance now. Hope you can rebook!

I thought this country felt imported COVID was not making much difference to COVID rates or distribution here? Hence we stopped worrying about it. We’ve enough of our own. I think Canada is exactly in that position too. We had nowhere to quarantine! On a holiday - how can you have? I guess we would have had to stay at our overnight hotel for the quarantine. It’s a nightmare for us regarding joining our ship in Argentina in November too.

Most countries require the vaccinations and not tests now. It was worrying when we needed tests for Iceland last year and to get home! What if….., ? Stressful!!

Testing in advance is therefore a big worry too if you fail! They can dictate who gets into Canada by testing on arrival and I guess testing at home is just about preferable!. It feels like a big imposition though. They require masks on the plane journey out but lots in our section ignored it. On the way back it was British rules. Once in the air, masks may be removed. Canada requires them in airports still. It’s not remotely scientific when the vast majority are not wearing masks anywhere else other than on public transport.

We went Into Alaska. USA rules but no testing required. Just vaccinations. So that was easy. Hope they don’t change either.

It doesn't make any sense at all. If you catch covid in Canada now there is no isolation requirement when when you are actively sick with it. So making vaccinated travellers quarantine seems daft.

I'd just missed the cutoff for the cancellation of the conference. My flights are refundable/changeable so now got to decide if I write off the conference money or go but knowing it will cost me far more in lost earnings if I did test positive after being selected for random testing (I think insurance should cover the additional hotel stay for quarantine part, although not even sure if you can quarantine in a hotel)

@pinklavenders

No. But by the time the OP had done pcr and got proof, the recovery period would be too short. Certainly for other family member.

Just to update. I cancelled 😩 wasnt worth the risk and tbh I'm still easily tired so not fully over it yet anyway. But, I have most of my money back and will claim the rest back on insurance (who were very helpful on the phone). Gutted, but it is, what it is...

@User7777
Just start planning for next year! You must go.

Aww I’m sorry.

Just to say we did travel to Vancouver, but my son did get selected for random testing. It was infuriating as the instructions said you would be told within 15 mins of passing customs - we waited, no e-mail. Jumped in a cab, and 30 minutes later got an e-mail for him. In terms of testing, we then had to register with a service and go to a location where the testing could be done. Fortunately these were largely Shoppers Drug Marts, and there was one just half a mile form our hotel. He was tested on the Wednesday afternoon and we had the result back by the time we woke up on the Friday morning. It was negative thank goodness. I have no idea what we would have done if he was positive as we have been moving around every couple of days. The instructions if it were positive were that you had to ring and inform a government department - which made me think they aren’t told automatically?? So if you don’t report a positive does anyone even know?? Speaking to other families coming through Vancouver, each of them has one family member selected. For Calgary many didn’t have anyone selected.

Anyway, hope that help for those that are travelling shortly and sorry OP that you trip was cancelled, its a beautiful country.