Are you dreaming of a tropical getaway to Hawaii this winter? Here's how Ichor Blood Services can help you make the most of your trip by avoiding the need to quarantine once you get there.
Thousands of Canadians are wondering if their tropical winter getaways will have to be put on hold this year due to COVID-19. Aside from potentially putting themselves at higher risk of contracting the novel coronavirus, the main issue surrounding international travel for these Canadians has to do with the lengthy quarantine most travellers must undergo upon arriving at their destination. The added time quarantining brings with it makes most international trips either prohibitively expensive, too long, or not worth the hassle.
But with Ichor Blood Services recently receiving approval from Hawaiian authorities to use their COVID-19 PCR tests for active infections to allow travellers to the Aloha State to forgo the mandatory quarantine — should they test negative, of course — the aforementioned barriers drift away like an iconic Hawaiian sunset.
Read on to learn more about the program.
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If you're looking for COVID-19 testing in Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, Medicine Hat, Fredericton, or Niagara Falls, Ichor Blood Services has you covered. For more information on our COVID-19 testing services, click the button below.
How Ichor Can Help You Travel to Hawaii Without Quarantining
Beginning December 18, 2020, those travelling to Hawaii from Canada can use Ichor Blood Services' COVID-19 PCR testing for active infections to allow them to forgo having to quarantine once they arrive in the tropical paradise.
This will be accomplished by having the traveller book an appointment time with Ichor 72 hours before their planned departure time. Ichor will then send a PDF package via encrypted email with the traveller's test results and a Hawaii-specific cover sheet that can be uploaded to the traveller's State of Hawaii Travel and Health portal account*. This generates a QR code, which authorities will scan upon arrival in Hawaii.
Testing results are typically sent to the traveller between 36-48 hours after their sample is collected by our laboratory partner StageZero Life Sciences.
*All travellers over 18 must register and create an account as part of the state's Safe Travels Hawaii program.
Why Must I Book an Appointment 72 Hours Prior to My Departure?
The 72-hour window is part of Hawaii's requirement for allowing travellers who present a negative COVID-19 test result to forgo the mandatory 14-day quarantine period upon arriving on the island. The negative COVID-19 result must have come from a test conducted no more than 72 hours before the arriving flight's departure time.
In cases where multi-city flights are required to reach Hawaii, the flight that arrives in a Hawaii airport is the departure time that must fit within this 72-hour window (so if you leave Calgary and have a connecting flight in Vancouver, it will be the Vancouver departure time that authorities will use to determine your test eligibility).
We also recommend booking your appointment time as close to this 72-hour window as possible to help safeguard against unforeseen delays. While we typically return results within 36-48 hours, the extra day will afford you greater peace of mind and protection against any delay that might occur.
For more information on our Hawaii COVID-19 Travel Testing program, please click the button below.
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR HAWAII COVID-19 TRAVEL TESTING PROGRAM
Enjoy Your Trip to Hawaii Without Having to Waste Your Time Being Stuck in Quarantine
By being able to offer our clients this important service, Ichor Blood Services is proud to make the magical destination of Hawaii open again to Canadian travellers. With winter quickly approaching and this unprecedented year finally drawing to a close, a trip to Hawaii sounds perfect right about now. And now you can go there without having to waste two weeks in quarantine as paradise beckons.
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If you need COVID-19 PCR swab testing to identify or rule out an active infection or antibody testing to detect a past one, Ichor Blood Services has you covered. For more information about the COVID-19 tests we offer in Calgary, Edmonton, Fredericton, and Niagara Falls, please give us a call at 1-844-424-6728 or fill out our contact form.
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Contact Us for Private Blood Testing, Physician Requested General Blood Work, Corporate Group Testing for COVID-19 Antibody or COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Testing, and more!