The Saskatchewan Trucking Association is calling for voluntary COVID-19 testing at the Canada-U.S. border instead of mandatory tests.
Executive Director Susan Ewart says mandatory tests would create shipping delays at the border.
“We’re not supporting not-testing, but we want to look at voluntary testing away from the borders at different locations so as to alleviate congestion and make sure that our goods are moving through there.”
Ewart says there’s been no word of COVID-19 spreading from truckers coming back from the U.S.
“They have done a very good job on risk mitigating that spread of COVID-19, and there’s a very secure work group for truck drivers at this particular point.”
Ewart says she’s confident truckers would be willing to get a COVID-19 test voluntarily away from the border.
“There are some pilot projects running — I believe in Alberta — right now where there is testing going on all the time,” Ewart said. “It’s not like the industry is not being tested and making sure that obviously the virus is not spreading.”
Currently, truckers are screened for COVID-19 symptoms upon arrival to Canada.