Manitoba pharmacists can now perform rapid COVID-19 tests for travellers
Travellers must pay for tests, with prices set by pharmacies providing service
Manitoba pharmacists can now perform rapid COVID-19 tests for people travelling outside the province, the provincial government announced Monday.
"This change builds testing capacity throughout the province, bringing COVID-19 testing to the neighbourhood level, and provides travellers with more choices," Health Minister Audrey Gordon said at a news conference announcing the change.
Travellers must go to the pharmacist with documentation of their travel plans, such as a plane or train ticket or hotel booking.
They must pay for the tests, because travel health-related services aren't covered under the Canada Health Act. The fees will be set by the pharmacies providing the service.
The pharmacies can perform rapid antigen tests and rapid molecular (non-PCR) tests.
Pharmacies are responsible for acquiring the testing supplies, training staff and advertising at the site.
"We are pleased that we are now able to offer rapid testing, similar to that of other provinces across the country," said Ashley Hart, president of Pharmacists Manitoba.
"Rapid testing in pharmacies is another small step towards bringing Manitoba in line with the advanced pharmacy practices seen across Canada."
The prices for tests will vary, depending on the type of test required and the supplier, Hart said.
Different countries have different testing requirements, so travellers should confirm which type is required if travelling to a another country.
The Canada-U.S. land border will reopen to vaccinated travellers on Nov. 8, but Canadians returning to Canada will need to take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test or other type of molecular test, such as a nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT).
On Monday, Manitoba started requiring people in a long list of jobs, including care home, daycare and hospital staff, to be fully vaccinated or show proof of a negative test within the 48 hours before a shift begins.
Rapid testing for those employees will be made available at workplaces. School division employees must have one supervised test a week, while other tests can be taken at home.
