Dear editor:

Volumes are being written about the exorbitant cost of a COVID-19 PCR test to re-enter Canada at our land border crossings.

It can be $169 (Cdn) if you test in Canada and $250 (U.S.) for same-day test results or $130 (U.S.) for next-day results if you get tested in the United States.

Clearly Canada does not want Canadians day-tripping to the outlet malls and grocery shopping in the U.S. It's great for snowbirds heading to Florida but for families planning short trips or visiting friends and relatives – not so much.

Sheer political stupidity is how I classify this directive.

For example. Get your test in Canada, go to a Buffalo Sabres game with 18.000 screaming, maskless fans.

Afterward visit a bar or restaurant, also with no masks. Do some shopping and return to Canada within  72 hours with your Canadian negative test results. But you could potentially bring COVID back with you. Yes, stupidity on steroids.

Finally, it seems Canada is projecting a complete lack of faith in being double-vaccinated. Or has Covid testing become a new cottage industry and another money grab?  

Mixed signalling is an understatement when one considers that hospital staff can work without being vaccinated. They will require regular rapid antigen COVID tests at roughly $20 (Cdn) per test.

Why not use this test at the land border? It's more effective, in my humble opinion, taken at the time you are returning – not 72 hours prior? 

Excuse me, I just had a seniors moment – no big profits to be made with this test.

Where are our local  provincial and federal politicians advocating to change or eliminat the PCR test?

Samuel Young

NOTL