The Omicron variant of COVID-19 has forced a shift in the way the provincial government views rapid testing of new arrivals in the province.
Newfoundland and Labrador recorded its first case of Omicron yesterday in the Eastern Health region.
That revelation was coupled with some changes in requirements for travelers arriving in the province.
Post-secondary students must now take a PCR test upon arrival, and all travelers will be given rapid test kits that can be used daily to check for the virus.
While point of entry testing has been used in the province before, it was never used to such a degree.
Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald explains why Public Health’s thought process on such testing has shifted.
She says Omicron spreads very quickly and has a much shorter incubation period of about three days. Therefore, they want to get that information as quickly as possible, meaning having people wait a couple of days for a PCR test isn’t feasible.