Just a friendly reminder that for some of us driving across the border is not about shopping or tourism, but about how we see our families. Those short trips are what was/is normal for me with parents that take less time to drive to than the far side of the GTA. So as long as the test requirement stands, I have to pay a $$$ tax for going to see my parents. The new rule that says the test no longer has to be done in the U.S., but instead can be done in Canada, as long as it is done 72 hours or less before I return, highlights the fact that it's a deterrent.
Walk through the ~logic:
If I test on Monday in Ontario, drive to my parents' house, and then return on Wednesday once I get my test results, what has the test proven? What public-health service has the test provided to Canada? Nothing. If I test negative, it was before I even reached the U.S., so who cares? If I test positive, it means I got Covid in Ontario, not the U.S.! So I don't believe public-health experts fear that short driving trips by vaxxed people, esp to go to a home, not a concert, mall, ball game, airport, or other large gathering of people, are a serious Covid threat. The government just wants to keep them to a minimum, and if my children get less time with their grandparents, well, we're just collateral damage.
A public-health specialist on CBC Radio One a few days ago even pointed out that Canada could allow the rapid tests, as they are easier and less expensive, less labour intensive wrt medical personnel administering them (because you can do it yourself), so we could have more tests done and people would test closer to when they re-enter Canada (so after more of their time in a different place, a more relevant time). Those benefits, he felt, override the few false negatives the rapid tests miss, esp as the only people allowed to travel anyway are fully vaxxed.
Sorry, just my weekly vent. Very glad to hear that people with mixed doses are being accepted as fully vaxxed.