COVID-19 testing offered at Moncton airport

MONCTON, N.B. -

Travellers at the Greater Moncton Roméo LeBlanc International airport can now get a COVID-19 test for a fee before they board their flight.

The service is being presented by Distribution Ad Valorem, a company conducting testing as part of a pilot project that began on Wednesday.

Ad Valorem is working with Proxyma Care Inc. to offer travellers three different covid-19 tests.

"Some ask for the antigen test, the COVID rapid test that we do here, and the results come in fifteen minutes," said Annie Francoeur, Proxyma Care's CEO.

"We also offer the molecular test within in 15 minutes and the PCR test that takes about 48 hours to get the results."

Testing is not mandatory at the Moncton airport but some countries require travellers to receive a negative COVID-19 test result to enter.

The service will provide a certificate showing proof of the results. The cost ranges from $149 to $299.

"It depends on the country you're going to or where you're coming from," said Francoeur.

It'll be up to travellers to figure out what kind of test they need, based on where their destination is.

"Let's say they leave Moncton and connect to Toronto. In order for them to be able to board the Moncton flight, the airline will be looking for that proof and request it from them," said Bernard LeBlanc, the airport's President and CEO.

Bernard says international flights won't return to the Moncton airport until early 2022.

The pilot is expected to continue until August, though that could change depending on the demand for testing.