File photo courtesy of © Can Stock Photo / herraezFile photo courtesy of © Can Stock Photo / herraez
Windsor

Windsor Regional Hospital stops COVID-19 testing for international travellers

As of Monday, Windsor Regional Hospital will no longer offer COVID-19 testing for those planning to travel abroad.

Now that there are three options for those travellers in the community, it will stop testing for international travel purposes.

Instead, they will have to visit Medical Labs of Windsor at 5841 Malden Road, Audacia Bioscience IDA Pharmacy at 3211 Sandwich Street, or Windsor Travel Health at 5115 Tecumseh Road East. Visitors will need to book an appointment at each of those locations.

In December, the Ontario government announced it would no longer pay for tests for those who travel outside the country. Windsor Regional Hospital continued to do so because there were no local locations that offered it.

"The province continues to provide testing for anyone who needs a test per provincial testing guidelines at no cost," said a release issued by the Ontario government on December 14. "This includes people who are symptomatic or people who have been in contact with someone who has symptoms."

At that time, Health Minister Christine Elliott said her government was taking the step to ensure tax dollars went to its priorities in the fight against COVID-19, and residents had access to free testing when they needed it.

Those returning to Canada will now have to provide proof they tested negative for the virus before boarding a plane. They will also have to quarantine in a hotel, at their own expense, once they arrive.

Meanwhile, new data from the Canada Border Services Agency suggests more Canadians are staying home because of new restrictions.

During the last two weeks of January, 106,000 Canadians returned to the country, and just 94,000 in the first two weeks of February. That compared to 170,000 during the period between December 28, 2020, and January 10, 2021.

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