In travel news for February 14, 2021 we go over updates to the testing requirements for visitors to Greece and Canada, as well as the updated mask rules for Las Vegas.
Being required to provide a negative covid test taken within 24 to 72 hours of boarding an international flight has become the new norm for travelers, but that might be coming to an end. Greece has recently announced that they are dropping their requirement of a negative covid test for fully vaccinated travelers from the United States and Canada. The previous requirement to enter Greece was a negative test taken within 72 hours of their trip. The new policy only requires travelers to show proof of vaccination status. Greece considers one to be fully vaccinated if both doses of the vaccine, or a booster have been received within the last nine months. Travelers that aren’t vaccinated or don’t qualify for this definition of fully vaccinated will still be required to show a negative COVID PCR test taken within 72 hours of departure, or proof of recovery from the virus within the previous 180 days.
Greece isn’t alone in dropping this requirement, previously the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Switzerland have dropped their COVID testing entry requirements for vaccinated travelers.
It was recently announced that at the end of February Canada will be dropping the requirement for a negative PCR test in favor of the antigen test. Currently to visit Canada a traveler must show a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of boarding their flight, or entry into the country if traveling by land. On Friday the Canadian Health Minister told reporters that the worst of the the most recent covid race is now behind them and that the government will continue to revise measures accordingly.
There are a few differences between PCR and Antigen tests. The first being accuracy, the PCR test is more accurate then the Antigen however it can take longer. When testing demand is high it’s difficult to get a PCR test result within the designated window. There is also the matter of price, Antigen tests are less expensive then the PCR test, and when testing demand spikes the price to get a PCR test within the short window required for international travel can become rather expensive. The move from PCR to Antigen should make travel to Canada easier.
Masks are now becoming optional in Las Vegas. Until recently Nevada had an indoor Mask Mandate, however this was lifted as of February 10th. The Nevada Gaming Commission followed suit by lifting their mask restriction on casinos unless imposed by the local jurisdiction. Masking is now optional for visitor, and mask policies for employees are to be determined by their employers. Several casinos quickly announced their plans to drop their mask rules, these include the newly opened Resorts World Las Vegas, and all the MGM properties such as The AIRA, Bellagio, and Mirage to name just a few.