It’ll now become easier for passengers from India to fly to Canada, as the country has eased testing norms and increased the number of labs whose tests will be accepted by the Canadian government. By Anushka Goel
In a major move, Canada has eased COVID-19 testing norms for passengers from India to help increase travel between the two nations. On Friday, Transport Canada shared an update on Twitter, stating that the modified pre-departure COVID-19 test requirements for passengers on direct flights to Canada from India and Morocco were being lifted effective January 28, 2022, “And the requirement for third country testing for travellers on indirect routes to Canada from these countries.”
Canada eases COVID-19 testing
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As reported earlier by Hindustan Times, the Canadian government was likely to update its rules and allow RT-PCR reports of tests conducted by more labs approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). At the moment, only the pre-departure tests conducted by the Genestrings lab at the Delhi airport are being accepted by the Canadian government.
This new move will help in relaxing travel as passengers will be able to avoid crowding at the lab and those transiting through India (and Delhi) will not have to worry about the long wait time between the test and its results, which could cause them to miss their flight.
Plans have also been passed to relax the mandatory requirement of travellers from India to be tested at a third country in case they are boarding a connecting flight to Canada. According to the Canadian government’s website, at the moment, “Passengers who travel from India via an indirect route need to provide a pre-departure negative COVID-19 molecular test result from a third country before continuing their journey to Canada.” With this new move, all passengers on direct flights and those entering third nations will no longer need to get tested again there.
