Canadian Border Crossing General Topic

RRspatch wrote: ↑Mon Aug 31, 2020 1:32 am There have been reports in the news of Americans caught in Banff National Park by the RCMP being fined and escorted to the border. The only way you can get into Canada is to tell them you're transiting to Alaska......

It was really becoming a issue and now those transiting to Alaska can only enter Canada at 5 border points in the west. They're given a tag to hang from their rear-view mirror and a reasonable time to reach Alaska...... then must report to CBSA before crossing back into the US.

https://www.canada.ca/en/border-service ... laska.html

Let's all work towards getting this thing under control and the Cascades, Maple Leaf and Adirondack rolling again!

Train travel will get a lot safer, and maybe more popular again, once we get reliable, cheap, near-instant saliva tests for Covid-19. And Canada could administer such tests at the border (charging the potential tourists the $10 or whatever). I gather teams are working on them but I don't know how long it will take. Let's hope.

Arborwayfan wrote: ↑Mon Aug 31, 2020 12:02 pm Train travel will get a lot safer, and maybe more popular again, once we get reliable, cheap, near-instant saliva tests for Covid-19. And Canada could administer such tests at the border (charging the potential tourists the $10 or whatever). I gather teams are working on them but I don't know how long it will take. Let's hope.

They got a few steps towards it at several universities, and NBC News highlighted it about a week or two ago. It's a matter of being able to make a ton of them and ramping up the turn-around.

Testing still continues for the "quick and reliable" Covid test, that's 100% CORRECT,results are getting better but not foolproof.

Contact tracing seems to be what is making the difference here. Every train carriage now has its own tracing qr. Quick testing helps but you need to be able to find that person's contact s fast to isolate it.

David Benton wrote: ↑Sat Sep 05, 2020 7:16 pm Contact tracing seems to be what is making the difference here. Every train carriage now has its own tracing qr. Quick testing helps but you need to be able to find that person's contact s fast to isolate it.

It's going to be a long time before borders open for AMTRAK with this kind of stuff going on in Niagara Falls. Contact tracing can't be done in this type of situation. https://www.chch.com/another-crowded-we ... ara-falls/

WP: Interesting video of Clifton Hill in Niagara Falls, Ontario of the Labor Day Holiday crowds.
I have visited NFS in the past and remember CH well being the center of the tourist area.

For those unfamiliar to Niagara Falls Clifton Hill is located adjacent to the Rainbow Bridge
about one mile south of the Niagara Falls VIA Station (on Bridge Street.) The prime viewing
areas for both the American and Horseshoe Falls are nearby slightly south with venues
such as the Skylon observation tower and Casino Niagara in the area.

What made the Clifton Hill crowd videos interesting is how busy that it was even with the
US border closed to casual visitors - which normally would be a substantial percentage of
the visitors to the Canadian side of Niagara. In the current situation these crowds are most
likely visitors from Toronto and Hamilton and other parts of Ontario that are staying close
to home as many in the US are doing - and not traveling substantial distances.

With Amtrak #63 and #64 not crossing the US-Canada border currently services on both
sides of the border are available: Empire Services in New York State and VIA bus service
replacing their Maple Leaf segments (Trains #97-98) along with the GO Transit Rail Niagara
Service from Hamilton and Toronto. With the Whirlpool Bridge border crossing closed to
all but essential NEXUS card holders only this short segment of track - in which these two
stations are visible from one another - is closed to any connecting service options.

When normalcy finally returns after this pandemic problem rail services crossing the US-
Canada border may become even more scrutinized by border authorities adding to the
problem of further delays making trains service even less competitive with using buses
or driving. This will have to be worked out over time by Amtrak and VIA...MACTRAXX

WashingtonPark wrote: ↑Mon Sep 07, 2020 8:18 am

David Benton wrote: ↑Sat Sep 05, 2020 7:16 pm Contact tracing seems to be what is making the difference here. Every train carriage now has its own tracing qr. Quick testing helps but you need to be able to find that person's contact s fast to isolate it.

It's going to be a long time before borders open for AMTRAK with this kind of stuff going on in Niagara Falls. Contact tracing can't be done in this type of situation. https://www.chch.com/another-crowded-we ... ara-falls/

There are bluetooth apps that trace everyone with a bluetooth device that you come with in range of . It then alerts if one later test positive. Proposed but not used here. Before someone screams privacy , the data does not leave your device.

David Benton wrote: ↑Mon Sep 07, 2020 4:46 pm
There are bluetooth apps that trace everyone with a bluetooth device that you come with in range of . It then alerts if one later test positive. Proposed but not used here. Before someone screams privacy , the data does not leave your device.

I hardly ever carry any Bluetooth device on me outside my home or car.
If you are relying upon technology to solve this crisis, you are looking in the wrong direction.
Rely upon science and medical professionals for the solution, not nerds with computers.

Like the World health organisation ?
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item ... f-covid-19

<cough> border </cough>

electricron wrote: ↑Mon Sep 07, 2020 6:01 pm I hardly ever carry any Bluetooth device on me outside my home or car.
If you are relying upon technology to solve this crisis, you are looking in the wrong direction.
Rely upon science and medical professionals for the solution, not nerds with computers.

You don't have a phone?

danib62 wrote: ↑Wed Sep 09, 2020 9:57 am You don't have a phone?

I have a cell phone. It mostly stays in the house. The only time I take it out of the house is when I am going to the doctor or dentist and I need to call them upon arrival at their offices so I can be escorted in. Prior to this year and covid, the phone remained in the house almost exclusively.

Family and friends who might call me know I do not carry the phone and to just leave a message, that I will call them back. I am not shackled to my phone.

Jeff Smith wrote: ↑Wed Sep 09, 2020 8:22 am <cough> border </cough>

Better stay away from the border with that cough.

WINNER^^^!!!