Alberta to pilot COVID-19 testing at border that would shorten quarantine time | CBC News

Travellers entering Canada by land or air through Alberta will soon have the option of being tested for COVID-19 at the border in a move that could shorten quarantine times — in a pilot project that's the first of its kind in Canada, Premier Jason Kenney announced Thursday.

News of the pilot project comes a day after Alberta broke two COVID-19 records, for the most new cases in a single day, 406, and for the most active cases. .

Kenney was speaking from his home in Edmonton, where he is in self-isolation after one of his government ministers tested positive for COVID-19 a day earlier. Kenney tested negative Wednesday night but said he'd continue with the isolation period until Oct.

The voluntary screening option announced Thursday is a joint pilot project between the Province of Alberta and the Government of Canada.

If the test comes back negative, travellers will be allowed to leave their place of quarantine as long as they commit to getting a second test on day six or seven after arrival, at a community pharmacy participating in the pilot program, the province said. .

Kenney said if the traveller pilot project goes well, it will be expanded to the airport in Edmonton early in the new year.

The pilot was also hailed by Calgary-based airline WestJet.

During the first wave of the pandemic, the province hit 351 new cases on April 23.

The province also broke the record for the most active cases with 3,372 active cases on Wednesday. The previous record was set Tuesday, with 3,203.

The government announced that Municipal Affairs Minister Tracy Allard tested positive on Wednesday afternoon and was experiencing mild symptoms.