[Retiredguy]

Lots of Albertans & BC people in Palm Springs....haven't seen any dead ones.

Just flew home from PS after 2 month visit, here for xmas, and intend to drive back in early Jan. California has reinstituted masks for indoors and our friends still there are taking extra precautions, no group dinners etc however we expect to feel just as safe in PS as we do in Vancouver.

 

[Eder]

Nice...drive safely...roads were a ***** when we came down. We'll stay here till after Christmas then hopefully down the Baja to warmer climes....its a bit chilly here only got to 18 today.

 

[james4beach]

Thinking I might go to Palm Springs, or maybe Hawaii, after the current situation stabilizes.

A friend of mine (Aussie citizen) is about to depart to Australia tonight. I'm so jealous. Only citizens are allowed to enter the country.

 

[Eder]

Hawaii has been very safe from Covid ... shitty food and expensive though.

 

[Beaver101]

I’m sure it’s happened, but i don’t recall reading any stories about Canadians dying or getting hospitalized for COVID in the US.

is there any data?

... even there was. Then what, when travel advisories have been issued? Basically, you're on your own. And if you're stucked, then it's your own fault at this point.

 

[kcowan2000]

For the third straight year, we have flown Westjet to PV, and for two,of those years, we flew back with overnight stays on American carriers. Main impact was extra cost and hassle. This year our return flight is scheduled for April 30th. We have had minimal risk by using masks in the outdoors even when there was a panic going on in Canada.

We expect many of our Canadian snowbird friends will,forfeit their deposits and stay home again. The only direct impact was the cancellation of our European trip in 2020 which we have rescheduled for 2022.

We consider ourselves lucky to have had so,little disruption to our normal lives.

(We have little confidence in our socialist government for implementing logical restrictions.)

 

[HappilyRetired]

We're driving to Florida right after Christmas and staying for a month. We have a rental on the ocean and we tend to keep to ourselves other than to buy groceries so we expect/hope that things go relatively smoothly with low risk.

We stayed home last year but we're not getting any younger (I'm 59) and we assume that our window of opportunity for extended travel is 12 - 15 remaining years. Everyone knows a spry 84-year old but for every one of them there are another dozen that can barely muster up the energy to get off the couch.

 

[Eder]

Well...heading down the Baja in the morning with 6 other Canadian motor homes...good times. 1st stop...wine country south of Tecate! Meanwhile I read on the G&M many Canadians want to again close the border...wtf!

 

[Eder]

A good read for those sick of never ending Canadian covid horror.

Come on Down

A Canadian Refugee In Mexico Come on Down! A number of years ago, I saw a cartoon that was funny because it completely reversed the conventional perspective. The caption said ‘Alien Abduction’ and the sketch showed a couple of ******** stuffing an alien into the trunk of a car. In some respects...

comeondown.mx

 

[Eder]

And another reason to come out from under the bed

As Mark Twain once said said, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”

 

[Money172375]

It seems there was a quiet change to land entry procedures.
before I left for Florida, I did extensive research. At the time, it seems you would be allowed to enter with a positive COVID test and be ordered into home quarantine.

it now seems that you can enter but will be subject to a $5,000 fine. The web page appears to have been updated on Dec 24.

now, it says in bold, that a positive test is not a valid entry test. I’m quiet certain I would have noticed this before I left.

COVID-19 testing for travellers - Travel restrictions in Canada – Travel.gc.ca

What to do before departing, what to show authorities, types of molecular tests, testing facilities and expenses, testing after arrival, who is exempt.

travel.gc.ca

it’s not a huge deal for me, as I can stay in Florida with family as I’ve been doing. But something to be aware of.

 

[james4beach]

it’s not a huge deal for me, as I can stay in Florida with family as I’ve been doing. But something to be aware of.

How are you going to get a PCR test when it's time to return to Canada? You might have to wait until this wave subsides. I would imagine it's just about impossible to get any kind of appointment.

Stay safe out there, hope you're able to stay away from people. Best to get KN95 masks if you can. The Florida numbers are off the charts and hospital admissions are surging.

 

[Money172375]

I have one scheduled tomorrow and Friday. You can get an appointment at the local cvs and Walgreens which are on every other corner. I haven’t looked at appointments lately. I booked last week and there were a lot of appointments available.

i haven’t been anywhere except the pool, beach and grocery store. I could get groceries delivered but haven’t done that yet.

 

[damian13ster]

Yeah, no issue getting appointments in most places in the States. If you want to check - just go online and try.
Not every country failed with procurement and distribution.
Going to the States in 4th week of February. Hopefully they either drop the requirement or there is more tests available

 

[james4beach]

I have one scheduled tomorrow and Friday. You can get an appointment at the local cvs and Walgreens which are on every other corner. I haven’t looked at appointments lately. I booked last week and there were a lot of appointments available.

I booked two of these myself back when I thought I was going to California (but I cancelled that trip). The issue I was concerned about was the turnaround time -- when does one get the results back? It was only 2-3 days on average back in November, before the new wave started, but I would imagine the labs have slowed down with the current intense load of testing.

If you can, try to get a Walgreens Rapid Diagnostic (ID NOW) as this is a NAAT test. Those are much faster than PCR tests because I think they are done on site. The other PCR tests are sent by daily courier out to a lab, which adds delay and uncertainty.

The last time I checked, Canada still allowed entry with NAAT tests but you'll want to double check that of course. Also make sure you are not getting a rapid antigen tests, as those are not accepted.

 

[londoncalling]

I would suggest you get your test at CVS instead of Walgreens.

Full Disclosure: own CVS do not own Walgreens.

Safe travels

 

[Money172375]

just back from my cvs test. short 10 min wait as people picked up prescriptions. Drive through service. Didn’t ask about residency, citizenship. Didn’t ask for ID or insurance. Handed in my email confirmation and was provided a kit. now we wait.
apparently cvs gets their tests picked up at around 4pm by UPS for delivery to the lab.

Rumour is that Walgreens does their NAAT testing on site. Appointment with them tomorrow.

 

[james4beach]

apparently cvs gets their tests picked up at around 4pm by UPS for delivery to the lab.

Rumour is that Walgreens does their NAAT testing on site. Appointment with them tomorrow.

Yes the PCR tests have a daily courier pickup. Did they give you any estimate for when the PCR results can be expected?

I do believe NAAT is done on site, and is a reason it's faster. I had the same approach as you, booked two tests like this to maximize odds of getting a result back in time.

 

[Money172375]

Yes the PCR tests have a daily courier pickup. Did they give you any estimate for when the PCR results can be expected?

I do believe NAAT is done on site, and is a reason it's faster. I had the same approach as you, booked two tests like this to maximize odds of getting a result back in time.

Not really. 1-3 days

 

[Money172375]

Had an accepted NAAT test this morning at 11:30am In Florida. Results received at 1pm same day. Negative for COVID.

as a non-resident, non-citizen, I was able to get a pcr test done and results in less than 2 hours.

back in ontario, when pcr tests were allowed for the general public, my friend waited 8 days for a test result that was completed at a hospital while his 3 month old baby had respiratory issues.

quite the difference in testing capability.

I’ll add I wasn’t asked for ID or insurance. Just an email, name and birthday.