What I dont get is that if you refuse the test when you land it's a $750 fine. To this point I havent read/heard anything about being detained or arrested. So, I dont know exactly what is stopping people from refusing the test, pay the fine and be on their way instead of paying $2k to take the test and stay at a hotel while you wait for the results. I'd rather pay the $750 and go straight to a location to get a free test done and then quarantine at home until the results came in. Would be less contact with people than going to a hotel.
The intention for this is to stop all NON essential travel. There is a fear that the new variants of Covid will take over and the vaccines that are now developed will not work on these new variants. Basically the government wants you to stay at home and not contract the new strain of Covid. There is real data that says the existing vaccines are less effective on strains such as the South African strain.
You get to stay home. Navigating through some of this now, as my son was exposed at school. Essentially once you are identified as a close contact, tested, or test positive you are required to self isolate at home. Meaning you need to stay on your property for 14 days. If your tested or already test positive they recommend that you fully isolate (own room and bathroom). Where I am the government has set up isolation hotels for those that feel they can not safely self isolate in their own home. (I.e. Small apartments, large families.). But these are voluntary.
By the time we go in March my wife and I would ha e both of our vaccine shots. I don’t see why that isn’t enough to satisfy the Covid test.
Pretty sure with the vaccine it only lessons the chance you have complications from it. You can still get and spread covid when you have the vaccine.
Flew to Chicago yesterday from Vancouver Canada. At airline check in they asked for my paperwork. Showed them my positive test results from 3 weeks ago, letter from my doctor saying I'm good to fly, and the new US pre clear declaration, No problem. At pre-clear for US Customs in Vancouver, same thing. No problem. The gate agent at United in Denver called me up while waiting to transfer, no issues. It can be done, just have to allow extra time. Coming home will be a different issue if after Wednesday with the new rules starting in Canada. My worry is that with less people flying the airlines will just cancel the flights as it will be more cost effective to refund/credit people.