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Nantes-Paris-Montreal-Ottawa – Made It! (Part I)

It’s Sunday night. I finally arrived in Ottawa on Wednesday around 9 p.m., and I’m flying to France again tomorrow, this time with Mark—let’s not forget it was the whole point of this transatlantic trip.

I spent four days cleaning the house, organizing my stuff, working and just enjoying the fact the three of us were together again.

Then it was time to pack.  

I’m not quite sure where I am and even though the perspective of travelling again may sound exciting to you, I do not recommend a quick five-day trip across the Atlantic Ocean if you value your sleep and sanity.

Let’s rewind a bit…

The pre-departure COVID test

Like pretty much everything these days, it all started with a COVID test, even though I’m fully vaccinated. I booked my appointment with Biolam in Nantes (closest and most location for me) and I called ahead to make sure it would be a PCR test since Canada doesn’t accept the more widespread (and less invasive) rapid antigen-based tests.

“But why do you want to be tested if you’re vaccinated?” I was asked at the lab.

Well, obviously because I love having a very long Q-tip inserted into my nostril, fantasy of mine.

No, seriously, because Canada requires it.

Good news, the test was free even if I don’t have a valid carte vitale, i.e. I’m not covered under the French healthcare system since I’m no longer a resident. This is apparently going to change because the government (and the rest of us) is encouraging people to get vaccinated instead of showing a negative test result to travel in Europe. However, some countries like Canada require a negative PCR test on top of vaccination proof, it’s not like I’m doing it for fun.

This PCR test was quite painful. Unlike in Brazil where sample was taken from both nostrils plus throat, it was one nostril only but the guy twisted and twisted for what seemed forever.

I was given a paper with a password—results within 24 hours.

I got the “your results are ready” email at midnight. My test was negative, not much suspense here.

The ArriveCAN app

Canada requires all travellers to download the ArriveCAN app and submit travel information before departure.

I waited for the latest version released on July 5—when fully vaccinated Canadians would be able to skip hotel-quarantine—otherwise I was stuck at the “hotel booking number” question where I had to enter the trip reference code for the 3-night reservation at a government-authorized hotel.

You have to create and account first. Info must be submitted within 72 hours before arrival to Canada and include:

  • required contact information
  • purpose of travel
  • travel details (date of arrival flight number, airport and airline)
  • vaccination information (and uploading proof of vaccination if asked
  • information about the countries visited in the 14 days prior arrival in Canada
  • quarantine plan (address, questions about other people living there and access to basic necessities)

Eventually I was given a receipt reference code with the following letters:

H – No hotel pre-booked

V – Vaccination documents

Please speak with a Canada Border Services Officer on arrival

Booking the arrival test

Biron Groupe Santé handles arrival tests at Montreal Airport and I registered based on the estimated time of arrival of my flight.

Looking forward to the test, a “sample taken by anterior nasal swab” this time. Good news though, this arrival test if free for international passengers.

Final email from Canada

A few hours before flying I received a long email from Health Canada listing all the entry requirements. It ended like this:

Discretionary (non-essential) travel, such as tourism, to Canada by foreign nationals (including the U.S.) is still prohibited. In addition, Canadians are reminded that now is not yet the time to travel. If they do, they need to be aware that arrival into Canada is going to be very different from what they were used to before the COVID-19 pandemic. Pre-entry and on-arrival public health and testing requirements mean it will take more time to process travellers.

Gee, thanks for the encouragement… How about a plan going forward, Canada? Or are we just going to not travel ever from now on?

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Zhu

French woman in English Canada.

Exploring the world with my camera since 1999, translating sentences for a living, writing stories that may or may not get attention.

Firm believer that nobody is normal... and it’s better this way.

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