Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Announces Tighter Limits on Travelers Response to New, Probably More Contagious Variants of the Novel Coronavirus
TORONTO – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced tougher restrictions on travelers on Friday in response to new, likely more contagious variants of the new coronavirus – including requiring travelers to quarantine at their own expense when they arrive in Canada and suspend airline to Mexico and all Caribbean destinations until April 30th.
Trudeau said that in addition to the pre-boarding testing that Canada already requires, the government will introduce mandatory PCR testing at the airport for people returning to Canada.
Travelers will then have to wait up to three days in an approved hotel for their test results, at their own expense, which are expected to exceed $ 2,000, Trudeau said.
“Those with negative test results can then be quarantined at home under significantly more stringent surveillance and enforcement.”
The high cost of the hotel stay includes the cost of a private PCR test, security, food, and the cost of measures designated hotels will have to take to protect their employees.
‘The prize is a ball parking. This is not like any other facility. Here should be measures for infection prevention, security and other costs. It’s not just a regular hotel stay, ”says Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer.
The prime minister said those with positive tests should be promptly quarantined in designated government facilities to ensure they are not carrying variants of particular care. .
Trudeau also said the government and Canada’s major airlines have agreed to immediately suspend service to sun destinations. He said Air Canada, WestJet, Sunwing and Air Transat will cancel air service to all Caribbean destinations and Mexico from Sunday to April 30.
“They will make arrangements with their customers who are currently traveling in these regions to organize their return flights,” said Trudeau.
He said starting next week, all international passenger flights will have to land at the following four airports: Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary and Montreal.
“We will also require non-essential travelers to show a negative test before entering the land border with the US in the coming weeks, and we are working on additional testing requirements for overland travel,” said Trudeau.
Canada already requires those entering the country to isolate themselves for 14 days and submit a negative COVID-19 test within three days of arrival.
Tam, Canada’s top health officer, said security contractors will go door-to-door to check if returnees are isolating at home.
The move to demand a hotel stay upon return would discourage vacations, as people would not want to be quarantined in a hotel at their own expense upon return.
“It’s great. It’s a shame it’s so late. This is something they could have done centuries ago,” said Dr. Andrew Morris, professor of infectious diseases at the University of Toronto and the medical director of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program. the Sinai-University Health Network.
“This is definitely a step in the right direction.”
More and more governments are thinking about ways to be more aggressive because of the new variants, delays in vaccines, the challenges of getting the population vaccinated and the pressure on healthcare.
Public Security Secretary Bill Blair said officials have urged Canadians to cancel all non-essential trips and try to eliminate them.
“Unfortunately, some make the choice to take non-essential trips. If they want to make that choice, they have to bear the full cost,” Blair said.
Trudeau also announced that part of the next shipment of the Moderna vaccine, arriving next week, will be delayed. He said Canada will receive 78% of the expected amount, which translates to 180,000 doses.