YKA hopes the relaxation of testing requirements continues (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Chad Klassen

PCR TESTING

Kamloops Airport seeing slow climb in passengers, hopes easing PCR requirements will encourage more travel

Feb 16, 2022 | 11:51 AM

KAMLOOPS — The Kamloops Airport is hoping to see more travellers following Tuesday’s announcement that Canada is dropping the PCR testing requirement at the end of the month.

The federal government says that starting March 1, fully vaccinated passengers entering Canada won’t require a PCR test. They’ll still have to take a rapid test, but many passengers coming through Kamloops think the change is long overdue.

“I think it’s time to do it,” said passenger Todd Heikes coming to visit his daughter in Kamloops. “Personally, I think if I want to go to the States I’d rather not have to take a PCR test.”

Stan Turcott, who’s travelling to Vancouver to fly to Germany, added: “All the people coming here could be carrying it no matter what. Everyone’s basically inoculated. I’ve been inoculated three times, and for the expense of adding it to your ticket, I feel it’s unbelievable.”

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YKA hopes dropping the PCR test requirement will encourage more people to travel.

Traffic at the Kamloops Airport is slowly picking up. The number of passengers in December was only 30 per cent less than December 2019.

YKA’s managing director Ed Ratuski wants to see even more restrictions eased, especially testing, at airports.

“What we’re hoping is the government and public health authorities will continue to relax the testing measures altogether, as we’re seeing in Europe and other parts of the world where there is no pre-testing requirements to come in,” noted Ratuski. “So we think this is the first good step in terms of loosening those restrictions.”