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Dal

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Hi Canadian cruisers,

In regards to the new travel restriction upon entering Canada, did you guys have to quarantine coming back to Canada? It says on the Health Canada website that travellers who went to another country other than US within 14 days must do PCR testing upon arrival and be quarantined until results are in. My upcoming cruise is a Bahamas cruise. Therefore, we will stop in Nassau, Bahamas (which is another country). So i am concerned that we will have to be quarantined since the ship will go outside of US. If I dont go down and enter Bahamas and just stay in the ship. will i still be considered as someone who "went" to another country?

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What a gong show! Ugh

I still have no answers. I have been living in my bubble. This is what is on travel.gc.ca. Airports are ramping up capacity to test all returning vaccinated travellers in the coming weeks that were in a country other then the US, so by then this could affect us. I am worried about our passports reflecting that we boarded a ship; in which case we could be screwed.  I am going to make some calls to see if/how this policy impacts cruising and if it matters whether we cancel all shore excursions vs Royal excursions. Worse case we stay at home for a day or two until test results are back. At least they aren’t requiring us to stay in the hotel jails.  

Temporary border restrictions and measures to address COVID-19 Omicron variant of concern

In effect: There are new requirements for all fully vaccinated travellers who have been in any country other than Canada and the United States in the 14 days prior to entry to Canada. Fully vaccinated travellers who are selected for arrival testing must quarantine in a suitable place until they receive a negative test result. The Government of Canada is increasing the number of fully vaccinated travellers being selected for testing to reach 100% of vaccinated travellers in the coming weeks.

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We got off Freedom of the Seas 5 days ago, we never got off the ship in Nassau or Coco Cay so I'm not sure if it's different. When Customs asked at Pearson where our cruise went we said The Bahamas. She kind of paused and we said we didn't get off the ship and she shrugged and said oh ok and sent us on our way. 

 

I don't know if it's different if you get off the ship or just depends on the customs person. 

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Well I am officially out of my star class bubble.

I contacted the PHAC who directed me to CBSA as they are the agency that enforces the current quarantine/isolation policy noted in above thread.  
The CBSA agent confirmed that cruising outside of the US will result in arrival testing and quarantine pending negative test result.  It doesn’t matter whether we leave the ship or not. The fact that the ship left the US is the litmus test.  I asked how this will be flagged by CBSA because we are NEXUS and pre Covid didn’t speak to a CBSA agent.  The agent confirmed that process has changed and after completing NEXUS at the stand alone terminals we will have to speak with a CBSA agent.  
Now I am contemplating how to break the news to Lindsay.  😔 

 

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22 minutes ago, Ontariocruisers said:

We got off Freedom of the Seas 5 days ago, we never got off the ship in Nassau or Coco Cay so I'm not sure if it's different. When Customs asked at Pearson where our cruise went we said The Bahamas. She kind of paused and we said we didn't get off the ship and she shrugged and said oh ok and sent us on our way. 

 

I don't know if it's different if you get off the ship or just depends on the customs person. 

This is good to know. There is a chance we may get a similar response from the CBSA agent but we have to be prepared to complete arrival testing and quarantine. 

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I am doubled vaccinated and have natural immunity, yet I need to take a test 24 hours before entering the U.S., the day before getting off the ship, upon entering the Dominion of Canada AND I am quarantined? And now Dr. Fraudchi is hinting that only those who are "boostered" are actually vaccinated? When do we Canadians and Americans tell our governments ENOUGH?

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I just broke the news to Lindsay. It went better than expected. A short rant followed by “but we aren’t required to quarantine at a government facility are we”.  
I am not thrilled with the prospect of arrival testing and quarantine but @Lovetocruise2002reminded me it could be worse. Imagine going from star class to a government quarantine facility with few, if any amenities. 😳          I can’t even imagine that scenario.  That would be a hard no. 

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Not sure if this helps but we received this e mail a few after we got back:

 

You are receiving this email from the Government of Canada because you recently entered Canada.

An Emergency Order under the Quarantine Act that applies to all travellers arriving in Canada is currently in force. You were informed of this Order when you entered Canada.

This is a reminder that IF you were randomly selected to complete COVID-19 molecular testing, you are required by law to follow the directions you were provided at the port of entry and complete the test. We may follow up with you in the next few days to confirm your compliance with this requirement. Further details can be found here: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/diseases-conditions/fully-vaccinated-travellers-without-covid-19-symptoms-returning-canada.html.

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We got that same email when we came back to Ontario from NYC last month. Not sure if that means anything in this case.
 

Basically I am pretty sure the situation at the moment is that if we cruise, we need to be prepared to quarantine upon return because we will be leaving the US. We might not be selected but there is a possibility we will. If we can make peace with that, then we are good to cruise. 

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We also received the email, but it didn't apply to us because we were not "randomly selected." The earlier post from Jax points to the government's intention to test everyone rather than randomly select some. Once more, this is ridiculous. All indications are that Omicron is more contagious but far less serious - that is a GOOD thing and scientifically it would be good to have as many Omicron infections as possible to increase individual and group immunity through a less dangerous strain of Covid.

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Since its likely they will be providing at home tests at arrival, does anyone know why they wouldn't just provide the rapid LAMP test since it's handled by the same company (Switch Health)? It doesn't need to be sent away to a lab so don't need to wait days to get results and miss work or school.

It would be easier and less hassle for everyone. Just don't understand why they have to choose a test that is costly (with shipping and lab) and time consuming.

This test kit is designed for travellers. The RT-LAMP test is accepted for re-entry into Canada, amongst other countries. 

Test for presence of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes the disease COVID-19. The RT-LAMP Test Kit is a molecular diagnostic test and does not require laboratory processing. It is a self-administered test observed via a telehealth experience.

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9 minutes ago, cruiserccl said:

Since its likely they will be providing at home tests at arrival, does anyone know why they wouldn't just provide the rapid LAMP test since it's handled by the same company (Switch Health)? It doesn't need to be sent away to a lab so don't need to wait days to get results and miss work or school.

It would be easier and less hassle for everyone. Just don't understand why they have to choose a test that is costly (with shipping and lab) and time consuming.

This test kit is designed for travellers. The RT-LAMP test is accepted for re-entry into Canada, amongst other countries. 

Test for presence of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes the disease COVID-19. The RT-LAMP Test Kit is a molecular diagnostic test and does not require laboratory processing. It is a self-administered test observed via a telehealth experience.

Because it is the government and governments generally are not very efficient and as they have demonstrated for the past 2 years they are not really interested in the inconveniences of COVID for businesses or citizens.

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24 minutes ago, Eggbert said:

Because it is the government and governments generally are not very efficient and as they have demonstrated for the past 2 years they are not really interested in the inconveniences of COVID for businesses or citizens.

I agree...but this is an easy fix. Perhaps it's more about money. I can't imagine someone not realizing that it would be less expensive and more efficient to do it this way....no courier, no lab work

I do think it's more about the contracts that are signed between the government and companies. I just hate being caught in the middle.

There is no reason why the RT-LAMP would not be a better option - other than supply chain. But that should have been considered a long time ago.

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Just came home from the Symphony nov 27th - dec 3rd sailing.

We were 4 vaccinated adults. 1 was the only 1 chosen for a random PCR at the airport. My sisters custom agent was happy and laughing and didn't care she was on a cruise. Mine was stone faced and told me I needed to test. tested at 7pm and results by 3 pm following day.

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6 minutes ago, Marlena said:

Just came home from the Symphony nov 27th - dec 3rd sailing.

We were 4 vaccinated adults. 1 was the only 1 chosen for a random PCR at the airport. My sisters custom agent was happy and laughing and didn't care she was on a cruise. Mine was stone faced and told me I needed to test. tested at 7pm and results by 3 pm following day.

But did you have to quarantine while waiting for your test results?  When we went to NYC a few weeks ago, Hubby and daughter were randomly selected too but that was before Omicron and they did not have to quarantine while waiting for results.

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3 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

But did you have to quarantine while waiting for your test results?  When we went to NYC a few weeks ago, Hubby and daughter were randomly selected too but that was before Omicron and they did not have to quarantine while waiting for results.

They did not give me strict instructions. However im of the mentality that anytime anyone is awaiting results they should be staying home ( which i did).

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13 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

But did you have to quarantine while waiting for your test results?  When we went to NYC a few weeks ago, Hubby and daughter were randomly selected too but that was before Omicron and they did not have to quarantine while waiting for results.

Pre omicron, no quarantine while waiting for test results for fully vaccinated.  That’s why your hubby and daughter didn’t have to quarantine pending their results. The heading on Canada.go.ca website that outlines the new quarantine requirements is titled   “Temporary border restrictions and measures to address COVID-19 Omicron variant of concern”. This is all about the omicron variant.  😞 Let’s hope in the coming weeks this policy is relaxed.  

BFE1E991-C94C-425F-ADB2-DDEFA5138BFB.png

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I think if we need to take an arrival test, they should perform the RT - LAMP at the border. If they can't handle the volume and they need to send an at home test, then it should still be the RT - LAMP. This way, the quarantine is at most, a day.

And if we're doing the arrival testing, there should be no need for the 72 PCR test for land crossing.

For air travel, I understand, they need to do a test before boarding the plane. So, an RT-LAMP should b provided a few hours prior to boarding. 

Taking a test 72 hours prior to boarding doesn't help if someone gets infected after taking the test. 

I understand this could create a lot of delay, but I don't think it's any worse than what they're doing now. If everyone has to be tested, there will be delay regardless of when you take the test.

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I just wanted to follow up on this as you know from my previous posts on this thread, this was something I was legitimately concerned about.  We got off Allure yesterday 12/23/2021:

We flew round trip from DTW-FLL, and we used the Ambassador Bridge to cross back and forth. On the way there, the only question asked was, “What was the last date of your second vaccinations?” No documents needed other than passports. 

On the way home yesterday, when we got to the booth, we had our ArriveCAN app filled out prior. Yes, it does ask you what countries you visited, and yes, we listed the US and the Bahamas. We also had in hand our PCR results (from Allure the day before), and our passports. They asked for our passports. First question was , “Where do you live?” Second question was, “How long were you away for?” Third question was, “What is the value of goods you are bringing in?” Fourth question was, “What is the value of the most expensive good?” Fifth question was, “Can I see your PCR results?” We gave him the paper copy.

After taking about 30 seconds or so to look at our results, he gave them back, handed back our passports, thanked us for completing our ArriveCAN app properly, and informed us that we had not been selected for random testing and we were on our way. 

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