Vancouver airport to test wastewater from select arriving flights

As Canada brings in new COVID-19 restrictions for travelers arriving from China, HongKong, and Macao, a wastewater testing program for select flights is being expanded, Vancouver International Airport announced.

From Thursday onwards, the federal government will require air travelers arriving from China, Hong Kong, or Macao to provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 test taken before their departure.

The Public Health Agency of Canada is putting in place a pilot project on wastewater testing from aircraft with Vancouver International Airport, and expanding the existing project with Toronto Pearson International Airport, to assess the COVID-19 prevalence from various regions of the world.

The samples are then sequenced to monitor for novel variants of concern,” the statement read.