The COVID-19 testing site located at the former restaurant and bar, Shady Tree Pub, will end its testing on Saturday, March 19.
The Sea to Sky Division of Family Practice wrote on its Facebook page of the closure.
The site first opened late in the summer of 2020.
“We deeply appreciate the hard work and commitment of our testing site staff who have provided exceptional care and support to those with symptoms of COVID-19. We applaud them for their ongoing dedication over the past two years, which has played a central role in our pandemic response,” wrote the organization. “Thanks also to our wonderful hosts at the Shady Tree, and all of our community partners who came out in force to provide everything we needed to make the site safe and accessible.”
Despite the closure, there are six other locations in Squamish where residents who are 40 years or older and who have a personal health number can receive free, take-home rapid antigen tests. These kits are located at the following pharmacies:
- London Drugs
- Nester’s
- Save-On-Foods
- Shoppers Drug Mart
- Squamish Pharmacy
- Walmart
Within the kit, there are five individual tests and residents can get one kit every 28 days. Residents cannot purchase additional kits at this time. These types of tests are also not suitable for international travel requirements.
However, the Government of Canada will dissolve the testing requirement for international travel on April 1, 2022 for fully vaccinated individuals who are five years of age or older. To be considered fully vaccinated, an individual must have the following:
- At least two doses of accepted vaccines for travel or a mix of two doses
- Or at least one dose of Janssen/Johnson & Johnson vaccine
- Received the second dose at least 14 days before entry to Canada
- Show no signs or symptoms of COVID-19
- Follow pre-entry testing and entry requirements which includes uploading proof of vaccination to ArriveCAN app, complete and keep receipt of ArriveCAN submission, and a COVID-19 test if randomly selected
The provincial government has not said exactly when tests will be made available for those under the age of 40, only that “kits will be available soon” and they expect more than four million to be shipped within the next three weeks from the federal government.
For more information regarding testing in BC, please visit the website for the BC Centre of Disease Control.
