International travellers arriving at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) now have separate lines for vaccinated and un-vaccinated individuals prior to reaching customs..The un-vaccinated line also applies to those who are partially-vaccinated..If YVR is your final stop:.Fully-vaccinated passengers will register, conduct day-1 test in terminal, and are exempt from the government-authorized hotel quarantine.Non or partially vaccinated passengers will register, conduct day-1 test, receive a Day-8 test kit and must proceed to their government-authorized hotel for quarantine..If you are connecting through YVR:.Fully-vaccinated passengers with a same-day connection will obtain registration instructions and Day-1 take-home kit and proceed to the departures area.Non or partially-vaccinated passengers with a connection will register, conduct Day-1 test, receive Day-8 test and proceed to their government-authorized hotel for quarantine..“Under the direction of the government of Canada, passengers entering the country from anywhere international or the US are being split into vaccinated and non or partially-vaccinated ques, just before reaching Canada customs,” a YVR representative told the Western Standard..“It was put in place as a federal government policy to ‘streamline the border clearance process.’.“I believe it will be happening at all airports in Canada that are accepting international flights.”.According to the government of Canada’s website, those who who want “exemptions” must upload their proof of vaccination in the ArriveCAN app with the following information:.the details of your first dose (date, country and vaccine you received).the details of your second dose if one was required (i.e., for Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca vaccines).a photo or PDF file of the record of each dose of your vaccination, such as receipts, cards, or confirmations.preferred file format: if you received a PDF file of your vaccination record, upload the PDF rather than an image, since the PDF is clearer and easier to read..At this time, there are no exemptions from testing, hotel stopover, or quarantine for travellers who haven’t received the full series of a vaccine or a combination of vaccines accepted by the government of Canada, according to their website..Upon testing positive, non/partially-vaccinated travellers are required to undergo supervised quarantine at government-approved accommodation for three days before proceeding home for a total 14-day quarantine..The “stay” at a government-approved facility is at the traveller’s own cost, approximately $2,000/person. Once at the facility, you are told to remain in your assigned room unless escorted by an official..The government of Canada’s website says violating any instructions provided to you when entering Canada is an offence under the Quarantine Act. It could lead to one or both of the following:.a fine of up to $750,000up to six months in prison.Enforcement of the Quarantine Act has been inconsistent throughout Canada, and the legal validity surrounding its enforcement is contested..If an individual receives negative test results, they may carry on to their personal 14-day quarantine location..The tests conducted at YVR are polymerase chain reaction tests (PCR), administered by Life Labs..PCR tests have the potential to yield false positives when used at a higher cycle. Anything over 35 is widely considered to be an ineffective means of detecting live reproductive viral DNA..The government of Canada does not consider this factor..The World Health Organization (WHO) sent out a release in December 2020 addressing this issue. It has since been removed but can be read on the Internet Archive here..“As the positivity rate for SARS-CoV-2 decreases, the positive predictive value also decreases,” says the WHO..“This means that the probability that a person who has a positive result (SARS-CoV-2 detected) is truly infected with SARS-CoV-2 decreases as positivity rate decreases, irrespective of the assay specificity. Therefore, healthcare providers are encouraged to take into consideration testing results along with clinical signs and symptoms, confirmed status of any contacts, etc.”.An updated WHO release can be read here..A representative at Life Labs said she could not comment on the amount of cycles used in the PCR tests at YVR airport..It’s highly likely many of the people who have been herded into quarantine facilities were never actually infected with active viral DNA..The Western Standard has reached out to both the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) and Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) for comments, but has not heard back at this time..Reid Small is a BC correspondent for the Western Standard.rsmall@westernstandardonline.com
International travellers arriving at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) now have separate lines for vaccinated and un-vaccinated individuals prior to reaching customs..The un-vaccinated line also applies to those who are partially-vaccinated..If YVR is your final stop:.Fully-vaccinated passengers will register, conduct day-1 test in terminal, and are exempt from the government-authorized hotel quarantine.Non or partially vaccinated passengers will register, conduct day-1 test, receive a Day-8 test kit and must proceed to their government-authorized hotel for quarantine..If you are connecting through YVR:.Fully-vaccinated passengers with a same-day connection will obtain registration instructions and Day-1 take-home kit and proceed to the departures area.Non or partially-vaccinated passengers with a connection will register, conduct Day-1 test, receive Day-8 test and proceed to their government-authorized hotel for quarantine..“Under the direction of the government of Canada, passengers entering the country from anywhere international or the US are being split into vaccinated and non or partially-vaccinated ques, just before reaching Canada customs,” a YVR representative told the Western Standard..“It was put in place as a federal government policy to ‘streamline the border clearance process.’.“I believe it will be happening at all airports in Canada that are accepting international flights.”.According to the government of Canada’s website, those who who want “exemptions” must upload their proof of vaccination in the ArriveCAN app with the following information:.the details of your first dose (date, country and vaccine you received).the details of your second dose if one was required (i.e., for Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca vaccines).a photo or PDF file of the record of each dose of your vaccination, such as receipts, cards, or confirmations.preferred file format: if you received a PDF file of your vaccination record, upload the PDF rather than an image, since the PDF is clearer and easier to read..At this time, there are no exemptions from testing, hotel stopover, or quarantine for travellers who haven’t received the full series of a vaccine or a combination of vaccines accepted by the government of Canada, according to their website..Upon testing positive, non/partially-vaccinated travellers are required to undergo supervised quarantine at government-approved accommodation for three days before proceeding home for a total 14-day quarantine..The “stay” at a government-approved facility is at the traveller’s own cost, approximately $2,000/person. Once at the facility, you are told to remain in your assigned room unless escorted by an official..The government of Canada’s website says violating any instructions provided to you when entering Canada is an offence under the Quarantine Act. It could lead to one or both of the following:.a fine of up to $750,000up to six months in prison.Enforcement of the Quarantine Act has been inconsistent throughout Canada, and the legal validity surrounding its enforcement is contested..If an individual receives negative test results, they may carry on to their personal 14-day quarantine location..The tests conducted at YVR are polymerase chain reaction tests (PCR), administered by Life Labs..PCR tests have the potential to yield false positives when used at a higher cycle. Anything over 35 is widely considered to be an ineffective means of detecting live reproductive viral DNA..The government of Canada does not consider this factor..The World Health Organization (WHO) sent out a release in December 2020 addressing this issue. It has since been removed but can be read on the Internet Archive here..“As the positivity rate for SARS-CoV-2 decreases, the positive predictive value also decreases,” says the WHO..“This means that the probability that a person who has a positive result (SARS-CoV-2 detected) is truly infected with SARS-CoV-2 decreases as positivity rate decreases, irrespective of the assay specificity. Therefore, healthcare providers are encouraged to take into consideration testing results along with clinical signs and symptoms, confirmed status of any contacts, etc.”.An updated WHO release can be read here..A representative at Life Labs said she could not comment on the amount of cycles used in the PCR tests at YVR airport..It’s highly likely many of the people who have been herded into quarantine facilities were never actually infected with active viral DNA..The Western Standard has reached out to both the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) and Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) for comments, but has not heard back at this time..Reid Small is a BC correspondent for the Western Standard.rsmall@westernstandardonline.com
