Wait times vary for COVID-19 testing after arriving on P.E.I. - Action News
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PEI

Wait times vary for COVID-19 testing after arriving on P.E.I.

Lineups for rapid testing are the norm these days if you are coming into P.E.I., but who gets tested is expected to change as the province opens its borders beyond Atlantic Canada later this month.

PEI Pass applications will become available toanyone in Canada on Tuesday

The Confederation Bridge is shown in this undated file photo. Visitors to P.E.I. are waiting anywhere from 10 minutes to more than an hour for a COVID-19 test. (Shane Hennessey/CBC)

Lineups for rapid testing are the norm these days if you are coming into P.E.I., but who gets tested is expected to change as the province opens its borders beyond Atlantic Canada later this month.

Visitors coming to P.E.I. can expect to be greeted by COVID-19 testing staff. Depending on when you travel, it can take anywhere from 10 minutes to more than an hour.

Some travellers who arrived on the Island around Canada Day did face those longer waits, and some people were waived through when testing sites got too busy.

Don Christie had a shorter wait for a test Monday after arriving on P.E.I. by ferry.

"It's not a great annoyance, it just holds you up a bit but I think an abundance of caution is always a good thing," said Christie.

Northumberland Ferries saidHealth PEI is working on setting up onboard testing, but the province isn't releasing any specifics on that yet.

There appears to be interest in coming to P.E.I.

Government officials said as of Monday afternoon, more than 92,000 applications have been submitted for the PEI Pass, and more than 81,000 have been approved.

Once the province opens up to the rest of Canada, health officials saidthey will likely focus on testing people who do not have a PEI Pass and those coming from outside of Atlantic Canada.

More from CBC P.E.I.

With files from Laura Meader