Ontario posts record hospitalizations, announces testing at Pearson airport
As Ontario reported more than 3,000 new cases of COVID-19 for the fifth time in the past seven days, the province announced free COVID-19 testing at Toronto's Pearson International Airport for travellers from outside Canada.
Regardless of the test result, travellers will have to quarantine for 14 days.
The testing will be voluntary and will be offered to international travellers staying in the province for at least two weeks.
“Here in Ontario, we are doing our part. We have made terrible sacrifices here at home — the people, they are doing what's necessary to protect our communities. But, all the while, COVID-19 has been getting into our borders from outside Canada,” Premier Doug Ford said.
According to provincial data, travel is listed as a likely source of infection in 4,095 cases, a small proportion of total infections. Community spread is the probable cause for 37,785 infections. Close contact and outbreak settings account for 81,958 and 37,981, respectively.
Participating in the airport testing program won't exempt people from the new federal government requirement for a negative COVID-19 test before travelling to Canada by air, which takes effect Thursday.
Canada's ban on flights from the United Kingdom was to expire at midnight Wednesday. On Dec. 20, Canada had halted most air travel from the U.K., where a mutated variant of COVID-19 had been discovered.
The new rules requiring passengers returning from abroad to show proof of negative COVID-19 test results will prevent the spread of the virus across borders, Transport Minister Marc Garneau said.
Meanwhile, 1,463 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in Ontario as of Tuesday at 2 p.m., with 361 patients in intensive-care units, both record highs. During the first wave of the pandemic in Ontario, hospital occupancy by COVID-19 patients peaked at 1,043. For ICU, the first-wave high was 264.
Responding to questions from reporters after his statement, Ford tried to dispel any perception that his government was sitting on COVID-19 vaccines.
“I just want to clarify something: There's no vaccines sitting in any freezers. We're running out of vaccines,” Ford said.
In Quebec, Premier François Legault announced a sweeping new lockdown, including an 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew taking effect Saturday and lasting until Feb. 8. The province will become the first in Canada to impose such a drastic measure.
Asked if he was considering more measures in Ontario, Ford said he would have a conversation with Legault on Friday and speak with the Ontario health table, “and we'll be making that decision over the next few days.”
As for the possibility that Ontario schools wouldn't reopen as scheduled, the premier said his team would take advice from the health table and the province's chief medical officer of health before making an announcement in the next day or so.