Hi there, I’d really like to hear about your experience travelling with unvaccinated kids. Was there any issue with the kids receiving their antigen test 3 days in advance? Did the US border control provide any instructions regarding the test to be taken between days 3-5?
When travelling back, did the kids do the arrival test upon landing at YYZ or YUL?
Things are in flux right now. I have not travelled yet, but did stumble upon instructions for the testing on the airlines website. It appears they are the ones that will police the requirements.
Check out your airline website for more details…
No personal experience but I have read several accounts of people, including children, travelling to the US without issues.
If I’ve understood correctly, the post-arrival 3-5 day test is something they “may require” but it’s not listed as compulsory for all those exempt from vaccination. As far as I know, the 3-5 day test is not controlled in any way at this point.
This is what the CDC says of those exempt from vaccination including children under 18:
I believe those 3 further requirements are listed so that officials have the authority at their discretion to order these, but I have not heard of them being used and/or being followed up on.
For returning to Canada, the stipulations are a little different than heading down to the US.
Take a look at the Canadian website below for details. On this page, there is a secion for CHildren and Dependents.
The clearest instructions I can find for entry to the United States is on the CDC attestation form that travellers have to fill out. There is says that unvaccinated kids travelling with vaccinated parents can get their initial antigen test 3 days before they travel. In a separate clause it states that a viral test 3-5 days is required but says nothing about if you need to report it to someone. No quarantine for this group unless positive.
I guess I just book the day 3-5 antigen test.
It boggles my mind how the instructions aren’t clear elsewhere…I guess no one wants to make this easy.
We have crossed at the land border - we took the PCR test in the states and had no issue getting results back in a little over 24 hours from when we took it. We registered at a CVS pharmacy in advance of the trip, and the tests were free.
However, the unvaccinated child has to quarantine for 14 days upon return to Canada, despite the rest of the family being vaccinated. Check your school schedules/availability to see what workarounds can be made.