Is the Switch Health Contract Worth its $100 Million?
May 7, 2021 Marsha Mowers
$100 Million Dollars.
That is the price of the Switch Health contract with the Federal government for COVID testing for travellers. This includes both the testing that is done at arrival in the quarantine hotels and the home kits that are sent home with both air travellers and those crossing by land.
Seems a lot of money to spend on an area that is still only responsible for less than 2% of COVID cases.
There’s a strong argument to be made whether that money would’ve been better spent in other ways to fight the pandemic. After all, it’s been suggested that the travel industry has been used as a scapegoat from the start.
But now, there’s an another, possible even larger concern.
Is Switch Health fully fulfilling its contract or are they in over their head? The Toronto Sun raised that question a couple weeks ago.
Media reports seem to suggest that, with countless horror stories of travellers firing up news outlets and social media.
Global News reported last week hundreds of social media complaints and negative Google reviews. It’s easy to find.
We spoke with Switch Health back in February when the new quarantine measures were first announced. A Toronto based startup, we were told they were a fast-growing company and able to handle the expected volume.
Canadian Travel News received dozens of emails from affected travellers and concerned citizens and has reached out to Switch Health for comment. Stay tuned.
About the Author
Marsha Mowers made the move to editorial side of travel after many years working in destination marketing where she represented places such as NYC and Las Vegas. Her experience on “both sides” of the industry has put her in a unique position to provide valuable context to both readers and trade partners. Marsha also serves as Director of Content for TravelPulse Canada
Switch health is a disaster. We were able to complete the test with a “nurse” and were told that we were to contact Purolator to pick up the next day. Purolator could only give a 4 hour window for pick up and will not ring doorbell, text, or call to announce arrival, so basically leave at your door in the heat for up to 4 hours. Note: the nurse at Switch made a big point of telling us that the kits must be kept at a refrigerated temp at all times.
We received our test results 4 days after. Not exactly timely…