MONTREAL — Air Canada has joined forces with Shoppers Drug Mart to provide Air Canada passengers with the opportunity to take a pre-departure COVID-19 RT-PCR test in order to comply with international travel requirements.
Starting Dec. 7, eligible Air Canada customers can book and purchase a COVID-19 test at participating Shoppers Drug Mart locations in Ontario, Alberta and B.C. Results are typically available within 24-48 hours.
“Many countries now require a pre-departure negative COVID-19 test and we are pleased to facilitate this process for our customers, making their travel experience easier and safer by recommending the RT-PCR test at select Shoppers Drug Mart locations,” says Dr. Jim Chung, Air Canada’s Chief Medical Officer.
“We believe that testing is one of the keys to protecting employees and customers, and an important step to safely reopen travel around the world, easing travel restrictions by providing alternative testing solutions in managing risk,” Dr. Chung added.
Ashesh Desai, Executive Vice President, Pharmacy at Shoppers Drug Mart, said of the partnership: ”Our stores and pharmacy teams are a convenient, trusted resource for Canadians. We want to continue to be a part of the solution as the country looks for ways to manage COVID-19. We’re pleased to work with Air Canada to make COVID-19 RT-PCR tests accessible to travellers, and to help customers plan their travel safely and with confidence.”
The pre-departure COVID-19 RT-PCR test will be available for passengers flying to any destination requiring a negative COVID-19 test, including Hawaii and the Caribbean (namely, the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, Antigua, Barbuda and St-Lucia).
As reported on Nov. 20, Canadians are now eligible to be exempt from Hawaii’s mandatory 14-day quarantine on arrival in the Hawaiian Islands via a pre-travel testing process. More details are at travel.hawaii.gov/#/.
Air Canada’s service to Hawaii from Vancouver begins on Dec. 17 and flights from Calgary start on Dec. 18.
Other testing options are also offered to Air Canada’s customers who are flying to Hawaii, including travellers from Quebec. For more details on the list of approved testing entities by the Hawaiian Government, visit aircanada.com/covid19testing.
