When Ian Hutcheon asked to be tested for COVID-19 last month at a Walgreens pharmacy in Gold Canyon, Ariz., Before his flight back to Calgary, he had a pleasant surprise.
“I happened to ask to speak to the pharmacist, who said, ‘Oh, we can test you for free,'” Hutcheon said. “I was a little incredulous, but he insisted.
Travelers entering Canada must provide proof of negative COVID-19 molecular test performed within 72 hours of their entry. And these molecular tests, such as the popular PCR test, can cost hundreds of dollars.
Therefore, Canada’s testing requirement has sparked protests politicians and tourist groups on both sides of the Canada-US border, who complain that testing can be prohibitive.
But CBC News interviewed six Canadians who recently traveled to the United States and obtained a free molecular test at a pharmacy or clinic before they returned to Canada.
“It’s mind-boggling to think that people are paying $ 200 for these tests,” said Andrew D’Amours, co-founder of the travel information website, Flytrippers.
D’Amours, of Trois-Rivières, Que., Took three free tests in the United States and written on the subject for his site.
“It’s so easy to get it for free,” he said.
However, there are caveats: Travelers may not be assured of getting their test results on time and may not find free tests at their destination in the United States.
But the stars aligned for Hutcheon and his wife, Colleen McMechan. At Walgreens, they each passed a self-administered free nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT), which is listed as a accepted test by the Canadian government.
The couple had booked their tests online a day in advance, listing their hotel when asked to provide an address in the United States. Hutcheon said they encountered no problems when they drove their rental car to Walgreens the next day to take the test at the drugstore drive-through test site.
“They took the swab and about two hours later the results appeared in my email inbox,” he said. “We printed them out and took them with us to the airport and everything went well.”
Why are the tests free?
The tests that Hutcheon and other Canadian travelers have received aren’t actually free, but rather funded by the US government. It has put in place measures to low-cost or free COVID-19 tests accessible to all in the United States, including those who do not have American health insurance.
“They want people to get tested,” said Jeremy Gelbart, co-founder of BeeperMD, a COVID-19 testing company that comes to people’s homes – or hotel rooms – to provide free PCR tests. (People who book a same-day test for one person, however, must pay a booking fee.)
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The border between Canada and the United States reopened today and some Albertans are eager to travel, even if it means waiting two to three hours at the Coutts-Sweet Grass crossing. 1:15
Beeper® serves customers in New York and most areas of Florida. The company has already provided free tests to thousands of Canadian travelers, including snowbirds, Gelbart said.
BeeperMD typically provides test results within 36 hours and will do everything possible to ensure travelers get their results within the required 72 hours in Canada, he said. But he cautions that there is no guarantee for customers who don’t pay.
As a precaution, Gelbart advises travelers to book their free tests a few days in advance.
“If people are prepared, everything will be fine,” he said. “We try to be as accommodating as possible.”
Rapid NAAT tests
Four of the Canadians surveyed used a drive-thru site Walgreens to take a free, self-administered NAAT test, which the drugstore chain calls an ID NOW test. Each traveler said they pre-booked their test online at least one day in advance and got their results within three hours of taking the test.
D’Amours has taken a NAAT test twice at Walgreens: once in May in Newark, NJ, and the second time on Sunday in Baton Rouge, La. He said the NAAT tests are the best option for Canadians because they provide quick results.
“I would say that is a game changer.”
Walgreens did not respond to requests for comment. However, the pharmacy chain website says it offers COVID-19 at no cost tests in selected locations.
It also states that PCR test results are usually provided within 48 hours, but without warranty. However, her NAAT test is done on site and results are available within 24 hours.
Walgreens also states that customers must provide valid state ID or driver’s license and insurance card.
None of those interviewed by CBC said they were denied a Canadian driver’s license and no medical insurance in the United States.
“We come [showed] our Canadian driver’s license credentials and it worked perfectly, ”said Haris Naeem Nini of Milton, Ont. He and his wife, Mariam Haris, each took free NAAT tests at a Walgreens drive-thru in the Buffalo area in May.
Walgreens says customers can only get tested by car via drive-thru. Nini said the couple didn’t have a vehicle, so they went through drive-thru in an Uber.
“The experience was a breeze and obviously cost us nothing except for the Uber ride.”
In September, Delores Davidson also received a free test, but she drove to a CVS drugstore in Rancho Mirage, Calif., And took a PCR test. She said she had to pre-book her appointment online and it took her around 24 hours to get the results.
“It was quick and easy,” said Davidson, who lives in Calgary. “We never paid. We were never billed.”
CVS also did not respond to requests for comment.
Free test warnings
D’Amours cautions that NAAT / ID NOW tests are not available at all Walgreen stores, so Canadians should check online before planning their trip to the United States. Travelers may also need to book their free test several days in advance to secure an appointment, he said.
D’Amours further advises travelers to stay informed while traveling – in case the United States suddenly changes its no-cost testing policy. “You never know, with the USA [land] reopening the border, will they have too many Canadians and will they decide to abolish it? “
Another traveler also has a warning.
Petar Sesar, of London, Ont., Said he and his fiancee, Mara Bakula, tried to get a free PCR test at a CVS in Cleveland in August, but was told it would take at least four days to get their results.
“I said, ‘How long will it take, because we are planning to leave for Canada tomorrow,” “Sesar said. “They laughed at us a bit when we suggested that we use the test results for travel.”
The couple ended up paying US $ 200 each at a clinic to get PCR tests with guaranteed quick results.
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