BANFF – A walk-thru travel COVID-19 testing clinic has opened up in Banff.
Located in the Bear Street Mall at 220 Bear Street, the clinic offers rapid antigen and molecular PCR tests with results in as little as 15 minutes.
Leslie Bruce, president and CEO of Banff Lake Louise Tourism, said this is a game-changer for American and overseas travellers.
“We really think it’s important that there is a COVID-19 testing clinic in the community and we have been investigating several alternatives,” she said.
“I am really happy to say that actually a private entrepreneur has stepped up and opened a testing clinic Oct. 1,” she added.
“This is a really important part of being able to attract visitors from outside the country because people need their test in order to go home.”
Tour operators, for example, were finding it difficult, cutting their trips to Banff and Lake Louise a little short.
“They were not willing to commit because they were losing a day-and-a-half or up to two days on the itinerary because they had to schedule a test in Calgary and they didn’t want to come back to destination for the last day,” Bruce said.
“It was becoming really complicated and the clinic is going to be a game-changer in our ability to attract international visitors as things do begin to pick up.”
No appointments are necessary at the clinic, which is open Mondays-Fridays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Meanwhile, Banff town has set aside $10,000 in case it needs to pay for the province’s mobile vaccination bus to come back to town – a service that has been free in the municipality’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic up until now.
Launched by Alberta Health and a coalition of businesses earlier in summer, the provincial mobile vaccination service could cost between $2,000 and $5,000 per visit to Banff, depending on the type of vehicle used and for how long it is in town.
Town officials say they are determining the exact cost to the municipality and investigating opportunities at the local health unit, but add they are first asking if the province can fund the vaccine bus for municipalities.
“We have been informed that there is now a cost that will be associated with bringing out the vaccine van or bus from the organization that is operating it,” said Alison Gerrits, a director on the Town of Banff’s emergency management team.
Banff councillors all thought the money was well worth spending if it meant getting more people vaccinated and easing pressure on Alberta’s health care system that is buckling under the strain of unvaccinated patients.
Councillor Chip Olver said the bus has been really successful for Banff.
“I really want to enable administration to bring it back,” she said.
As of Oct. 5, Banff and Lake Louise’s vaccination rate was sitting at 9,731 individuals partially vaccinated and 8,296 fully vaccinated.
When the provincial mobile bus was last in Banff on Sept. 19, 144 people dropped by for a vaccine dose.
Vaccines are administered on a first-come, first-serve basis, with no appointments or Alberta health care cards required.
While voicing support for the municipal spend, Coun. Peter Poole said the province should be paying municipalities for booking the bus as an incentive to encourage higher vaccination rates in their communities.
“I think they should give an incentive to every municipality to bring up the bus so that those municipalities, who are maybe not doing what we’re doing, which is to encourage vaccination rates, would do that. That will be a conservative, pragmatic approach to doing it,” he said.
“I am fully supportive of Coun. Olver’s motion, but like in poker, I want to meet you and raise you one, and I want to raise it with a challenge to the province to pay us 5,000 bucks to bring the bus here.”
Town manager Kelly Gibson said the municipality will try to recover some COVID-19 related costs from the province.
“This at least gives us options to spend additional money past the last trip of the vaccination bus going forward,” he said.
To book a vaccination, go to www.alberta.ca/vaccine to see all local options available for vaccination.
“Please remember to book your vaccination if you have not yet got it,” said Gerrits.
