PCR testing kits used on Canadian arrivals could be better utilized elsewhere, says the Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable, which adds that the monitoring measure introduced on Dec. 17 to help keep omicron out of Canada has now become redundant.

On Friday, “The Roundtable” called on the federal government to redeploy the PCR tests used for on-arrival testing of fully vaccinated, asymptomatic, and previously positive travellers into Canada, for community use and for a return to randomized on-arrival testing for surveillance purposes.

“It is important we shift policies to reflect the realities of the current COVID-19 situation,” says the Roundtable, which comprises a group of organizations representing the Canadian tourism and hospitality industries. “Canada’s international peers, like the United Kingdom and Israel, have already done so. The government should consider shifting back to arrival testing on a random basis for surveillance purposes, which was recommended by the Expert Panel.”

It adds that not only are travellers to Canada required to provide negative results upon arrival, but that the positivity rate of fully vaccinated travellers entering Canada on a relative basis is extremely low when contrasted against the significantly higher positive rate in the community.

“This is because the arrivals test effectively re-tests COVID-negative travellers,” says the group.

And, it adds, “With Canada currently facing a COVID-19 testing crisis, on-arrival COVID-19 PCR tests waste valuable, scarce testing resources that could be redeployed to protect our frontline workers and support a return to school for children.”

“Shifting from double testing at the border,” continues the Roundtable, “will allow these COVID-19 PCR tests to be deployed to communities where they are most needed.”