'Like playing COVID test roulette': B.C. couple on free PCR testing in the U.S.

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Since getting married in July 2020, Katrina Gurr and Alexis Gurr visit each other as often as possible, which hasn’t been easy during the pandemic.

Katrina lives in Port Moody and Alexis lives near Mount Vernon, Wash.

“Aug. 9 in Canada was when I could start coming up regularly,” said Alexis of the day the land border reopened for Americans to drive to Canada.

“But that’s when we ran into the testing issues.”

Private labs in the U.S. charge as much as $250 for a PCR test, which is required for Alexis to visit Canada and for Katrina to return home, both by land and by air. But the couple has discovered a way to get the required test for free.

“We basically go to Walgreens three days before we have to go back,” said Katrina. “I’ve never had to pay. I’ve probably done it 4 times.”

So has her wife Alexis.

Canadians can book a free drive-thru PCR test at most Walgreens locations online, by using the address where they have been staying in the

U.S. No proof of residency is required.

“Not enough people know about this,” said Andrew D’Amours, creator of the travel blog Flytrippers.

“I’ve been using it since April. It’s been working for a long time. It’s really easy.”

But the test results are not guaranteed to come back within 72 hours, which is required to enter or re-enter Canada.

“I think the closest I’ve come is 68 hours,” said Alexis. “Walgreens is, I feel, like playing COVID test roulette, because you never know if you will get your test back on time.”

Some Walgreens locations offer a much faster, free, rapid diagnostic test called “ID Now,” which is also accepted to cross into Canada and provides results in just a few hours.

“I did it on a Saturday and literally one hour after my appointment I had the results in my email, so this is much better,” said D’Amours.

The free ID Now tests are offered in some popular holiday destinations, like Las Vegas, Hawaii and Florida.

There are several near Seattle, but that’s still a two-hour drive from where Alexis lives. So when Katrina visits her wife next week, she’ll roll the dice on the free PCR test from the Walgreens nearby, and hope the results come back in time for her planned return to B.C.

“It honestly is very stressful,” said Katrina.

But the free testing at Walgreens has saved them a lot of money. So the couple’s advice for other British Columbians hoping to test for free during a visit to the U.S.?

“If you’re prepared to go through some of the stress – maybe you get your results, but have a backup plan to get back home – I would say then go for it,” said Katrina. “Otherwise, I would just fork out the money.”