Published in El Pais, 13 November 2021.
Last week I had the privilege of travelling to Lisbon for the Solana blockchain conference. It was an eventful 4 days of non-stop networking and parties. Although exhausting, it was still an amazing time. While far less prevalent than in other parts of the world COVID-19 was still around and thus standard precautions had to be made including masks, sanitation, and mandatory vaccination. Going back to Canada however required an additional measurement, a negative PCR test.
Unlike the antigen test, the PCR is very expensive, costing upwards of $200 each and while I was fortunate to have the conference cover it, many do not have that luxury which will surely impact tourism.
For example, the US have finally opened the land border to Canada, but notable attractions in border towns are still struggling because a family would have to spend $1000 just to spend a few days in another country. It is not just tourism; many families have been split apart for nearly two years and continue to be separate due to the cost of the test.
The desire to get rid of the test, for at least the vaccinated is being echoed throughout the country, especially by mayors or border towns, and with so many countries getting rid of it, it might be time to consider an alternative to mandatory testing.
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