Business Platinum Card from American Express
130,000 MR points
Alberta Introduces Rapid Testing to Replace 14-Day Quarantine
Share this Article
Business Platinum Card from American Express
- Earn 90,000 MR points upon spending $15,000 in the first three months
- Plus, earn 40,000 MR points upon making a purchase in months 14–17 as a cardholder
- And, earn 1.25x MR points on all purchases
- Also, receive a $200 annual travel credit
- Transfer MR points to Aeroplan and other frequent flyer programs for premium flights
- Unlimited airport lounge access for you and one guest at Priority Pass, Plaza Premium, Centurion, and other lounges
- Credits and rebates for business expenses throughout the year with Amex Offers
- Bonus MR points for referring family and friends
- Qualify for the card as a sole proprietor
- Annual fee: $799
16 Comments
Prince of Travel is the leading resource for using frequent flyer miles, credit card points, and loyalty programs to travel the world at a fraction of the price.
Join our Sunday newsletter below to get weekly updates delivered straight to your inbox.
Have a question? Just ask.
Platinum Membership
Our Platinum members get access to a Circle community, exclusive live learning sessions, and in-person gatherings with like-minded travellers.
Top Offers
Latest News
Prince of Travel Elites
I really want to go to Hawaii or Palm Springs and flying from Ontario through YYC is fine. Just working on that Alberta ID now. AC needs flights from YYC to some warm places now as they have none.
I expect that the international flights have to be direct to Calgary. In other words, flying from Paris to Calgary via Toronto would not be eligible for the quick test. Is that correct?
I’m in the US right now, and almost rerouted my return through Calgary to avoid the quarantine in Ontario. Thankfully I read the entire article before pushing the button. Hopefully this comes to Toronto soon, before Air Canada goes bankrupt.
Requiring a daily call-in to let them know if we have symptoms or not is ridiculous you either have faith that the people will follow through or you don’t. Adding a second test on top of the initial one seems extreme enough
Good that there’s finally been an a change – although frankly still too strict and oppressive. The negative test should be a one and done. We are allowed to enter other countries with a negative test, we should be able to come back with a negative test in hand and have a green light.
Unfortunately, if you look at the state of other countries much of that spread is related to inadequate testing and contact tracing. These tests are not foolproof – so they do not pick up all positive cases – and they only test at a moment in time – hence the need for a second test or for a 14 day quarantine period (as required in the Atlantic bubble).
I hear a test developed in Canada called Sona is the way to go! They are awaiting for HC approval. Test and go no quarantine needed
It’s nice to learn that Alberta is leading the way to restore some semblance of normality. Unfortunately most Canadian expats won’t be able to return home for the holidays unless this program gets expanded. A 14-day quarantine upon entering Canada followed by a second quarantine upon returning is beyond prohibitive. I can certainly understand the argument that non-essential travel should be avoided but preventing families from spending time together over the holidays when Covid rapid antigen testing solutions are widely available is frustrating to say the least.
Tests are available but again, they are not 100 per cent accurate. Thus, it’s not just an issue with availability but also with the fact that they can produce false positives and false negatives or not pick up people who may not have high enough levels of the virus but may test positive a few days later. This issue will not be solved by a ‘silver bullet’ test but by adherence to public health guidance plus testing plus vaccines.
Rapid testing solutions with > 99% specificity and sensitivity are available. While I agree that testing alone will not resolve the Covid crisis, federal and provincial governments should take a fact-based and scientific approach that balances the risk of new infections from Canadians returning home from abroad with the negative economic and social impacts of lengthy quarantine measures.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/lab/resources/antigen-tests-guidelines.html#anchor_1600531783097
Example of a Rapid antigen test with sensitivity of 96.52% and a specificity of 99.68%: https://www.roche.com/media/releases/med-cor-2020-09-01b.htm
At least the government is moving forward in testing a sensible alternative to the 14-day quarantine, which currently makes travel unfeasible for most people.
“The Government of Alberta and Government of Canada have agreed on a 26-week pilot project that will make YYC the exclusive airport for Canada’s first quarantine reduction project …” I fear it may be not until MAY when we get this outside Alberta 🙁
I’d be very surprised if a certain Canadian airline – one that prides itself upon issuing refunds for refundable flights – isn’t putting every effort into lobbying to get something similar implemented at YYZ.
Pretty sure they are. According to an AC pilot in the family.