(Ottawa) Airport drug tests have increased significantly since the federal government announced it would be mandatory for all air travelers except those arriving from the United States. But the goal of 100% has not yet been reached.
The Federal Minister of Health, Jean-Yves Duclos, announced the most recent data on this subject during a press conference on Friday morning.
On November 30, when the new airport measures were announced, all Canadian airports were able to administer approximately 11,000 drug tests per day. As of December 9, the number had increased to 17,000 tests per day, an increase of about 50%.
For Montreal airport alone, the number of tests had increased from 2,128 tests per day to 3,033 tests per day in the same period.
According to Minister Duclos, the federal government’s objective is “halfway”. He said that Canadian airports would need to administer some 23,000 tests per day to be able to cover all air travelers who come from countries other than the United States.
Private companies will be called in to help achieve this goal as quickly as possible.
New federal measures at airports were announced on November 30 to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant, which is now found in seven provinces and territories across the country.
Rapid tests
The federal government also intends to send millions of rapid tests to provinces and territories that have requested them as the holiday season approaches.
Since the start of the pandemic, Ottawa has ordered 95 million, of which 86 million have been delivered to provinces and territories already. The vast majority of these tests have remained unused until now, but Minister Duclos is pleased that there is a sudden interest in them.
It promises to respond to the demands of the provinces and territories, which are asking for 35 million more.