The Telegram (St. John's)

Bubbles, borders and myths

Premier Dwight Ball continues to address fears of coronaviru­s spread; P.E.I. confirms another case

- PETER JACKSON LOCAL JOURNALISM INIATIVE REPORTER peter.jackson @thetelegra­m.com @pjackson_nl Peter Jackson is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter covering health for The Telegram.

As controvers­y continues to swirl around the prospect of opening Canada’s domestic borders, Newfoundla­nd and Labrador’s premier and health minister are striving to allay fears.

On Wednesday, the premier fielded questions about a date that was tossed out last month around the same time the province announced it was joining an Atlantic bubble.

The opening of Atlantic regional borders, which allows permanent residents of all four provinces to travel freely without self-isolating, took effect July 3.

But Dwight Ball said a proposed opening of all provincial borders on July 17 has not been part of recent discussion­s.

“We know that around the province right now there’s considerab­le fear in opening up those borders,” he said this week. “We recognize from a Newfoundla­nd and Labrador perspectiv­e that the areas that will line up and have more travellers come into our province would be from provinces like Alberta, provinces like Ontario.”

However, he said there has been talk lately about when, or even if, that may happen.

“First and foremost, I can assure people in Newfoundla­nd and Labrador, it will be the safety of Newfoundla­nders and Labradoria­ns that will be the priority and will be what will influence the decision made by all of us before we ease any more travel restrictio­ns.”

BAN NOT TOTAL

Ball also touched on a common misconcept­ion about travel into and out of the province since a travel ban was implemente­d on May 15. At least 8,000 exemptions have been granted to non-residents, for a variety of reasons. That doesn’t include the fact that residents are free to travel outside the province and return again.

“Keep in mind we have a lot of Newfoundla­nders and Labradoria­ns that leave the province and go visit families in Alberta and Ontario and other places,” he said. “They can leave. There’s no restrictio­n on leaving. The restrictio­n is when they come back.”

Any person arriving from outside the Atlantic bubble, including those who’ve passed through the region from elsewhere, are still required to self-isolate for 14 days.

The premier also clarified that five new cases in P.E.I. last weekend stemmed from a U.S. citizen who had arrived legally in Halifax and was picked up by family members from P.E.I. The island province turned him back at its border, so he returned to selfisolat­e in Halifax. Another P.E.I. resident was confirmed positive on Thursday, stemming from the same cluster.

“I think the officials within all of the Maritime provinces — New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and P.E.I. — will clearly say and articulate that what happened with this traveller was not at all connected to the Atlantic bubble,” Ball said.

New Brunswick also reported one new case on Thursday, stemming from travel.

AIR TRAVEL

Meanwhile, a nursing professor at Memorial University had some thoughts this week on the safety of flying with strangers as airlines start filling planes again.

The issue made headlines last weekend when a Halifax man decided to walk off a plane rather than fly in close quarters with passengers from outside the Atlantic bubble.

“I have mixed feelings about airplanes, and I travel a lot,” Donna Moralejo, who specialize­s in infection control, said in an interview.

Moralejo said the air in a plane is actually safer than most households because of built-in filtration systems. But surface contacts must be avoided, and close proximity means masks are essential.

“It’s probably not as unsafe as it sounds, given the airflow, but it’s less than ideal, especially on longer flights,” she said.

Atlantic Canadians are excited about being able to travel within the region without having to go into quarantine, but they’re also a little worried — an American visitor brought COVID-19 with him recently, and there have been multiple exposure warnings on flights within and to Canada.

Additional­ly, people have taken to social media to question the presence of U.S. and Canadian licence plates on vehicles showing up in their communitie­s.

Saltwire Network sifted through national and provincial guidelines to answer some of the more frequently asked questions about who is allowed to visit and what they must do when they arrive.

WHO CAN ENTER CANADA?

There are strict rules, set by the federal government and enforced by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). Canada closed its borders to citizens of most countries in mid-march and to U.S. citizens several days later. The U.S. travel ban, which is reciprocal, extends until July 21, and the internatio­nal ban until July 31, but both can be extended. Canadian citizens, dual citizens, permanent residents and those registered under the Indian Act can travel to and from Canada freely by right, but are required to self-isolate under the Quarantine Act upon return.

Foreign nationals are not allowed in for “optional or discretion­ary purposes, such as tourism, recreation or entertainm­ent,” according to the ban.

There are exceptions. They include: essential workers critical to Canada’s economy and infrastruc­ture; emergency and medical workers; air crew; those with valid work or study permits or assisting with COVID-19 response; diplomats; French citizens who live in St-pierre-miquelon and have only been in St-pierremiqu­elon, the United States or Canada during the last 14 days before entry; and anyone whose presence in Canada is determined by the government to be in the national interest.

There are also allowances for refugee claimants, except those who have arrived at the U.S. land border. They would be turned back.

As of June 8, foreign nationals who are immediate family of a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident are allowed to enter so long as they can show they are staying for at least 15 days.

No one showing symptoms of COVID-19 is allowed to travel to Canada.

The CBSA, which is responsibl­e for permitting or denying entry to Canada, says officers query travellers and are trained to observe visible signs of illness. They will refer any traveller who they suspect of being ill for a health assessment.

DO VISITORS HAVE TO SELF-ISOLATE?

Yes, but there are quite a few exceptions, including airline crew, emergency services providers, those essential to the delivery of goods, health-care workers, individual­s receiving essential medical treatment, diplomats and representa­tives from other countries, members of the Canadian Forces or a visiting force, fishing crew who enter Canada aboard a Canadian or foreign fishing vessel for the purpose of carrying out fishing or fishingrel­ated activities, those who live in border communitie­s and must cross the border to carry out essential daily activities, and anyone whose presence in Canada is determined by the government to be in the national interest.

Even though they are exempted from having to self-isolate, people in these categories are expected to practice physical distancing, use a mask or face covering when they cannot maintain physical distancing, selfmonito­r for symptoms, stay in their place of residence as much as possible and follow the instructio­ns of the local public health authority if they feel sick.

Everyone else who enters Canada, symptomati­c or not, must go into quarantine for a period of 14 days. The traveller will be interviewe­d to ensure they have a place to quarantine where they are not exposed to vulnerable individual­s and that they have a plan in place for the delivery of necessitie­s.

They must also give CBSA contact informatio­n so they can be reached during their time in quarantine.

They then must travel directly to their final destinatio­n while wearing an approved face covering. If symptoms of COVID-19 develop during the isolation period, their quarantine is extended for an additional 14 days. Travellers can only leave their place of quarantine to seek medical attention, and they may not have visitors.

If a traveller cannot demonstrat­e their ability to go into quarantine safety, they will be sent to one of a number approved federally-run quarantine sites.

Travellers are encouraged to use private transporta­tion to get to their final destinatio­ns, and those who are symptomati­c are prohibited from using public transporta­tion.

WHAT HAPPENS IF SOMEONE DOESN’T FOLLOW THE RULES?

Failing to comply with isolation orders and border restrictio­ns under the federal

Quarantine Act is punishable by fines of up to $750,000 and/or imprisonme­nt for up to six months.

If someone causes risk of imminent death or serious bodily harm to another person while wilfully or recklessly contraveni­ng the act, penalties can reach $1 million in fines, and/or imprisonme­nt of up to three years. Provinces may impose additional fines and restrictio­ns.

The provincial health authority is responsibl­e for tracking and monitoring individual­s allowed entry. It’s not clear how thoroughly that is being done.

WHAT ABOUT AFTER THE QUARANTINE PERIOD?

Travellers to Canada who have completed the 14-day self-isolation period are free to travel around Canada as long as they follow the local public health guidelines and restrictio­ns.

All four Atlantic provinces require a secondary quarantine period for anyone arriving in the province from outside the region — regardless if they are a Canadian citizen or foreign national — while others do not. For example, if you are an American citizen who has travelled to Ontario and completed the 14-day mandatory selfisolat­ion, you are free to travel within Ontario or to Quebec, but would have to self-isolate again if travelling to the Atlantic provinces.

Both Newfoundla­nd and Labrador and Nova Scotia are considerin­g lifting this restrictio­n so Canadians from outside the region can travel there without a mandatory quarantine.

CAN ANYONE TRAVEL TO ANY PROVINCE AS LONG AS THEY SELF-ISOLATE?

No, some provinces are not allowing any outside visitors, and, in Atlantic Canada, all provinces require self-isolation for 14 days for anyone travelling to the province from outside the Atlantic bubble, even if they are citizens.

In Nova Scotia, no one requires special permission to enter, but anyone who is entering the province must immediatel­y self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival. Newfoundla­nd and Labrador requires all travellers from outside the Atlantic region to acquire a travel exemption from the province to enter, and must self-isolate for 14 days. Travellers who arrive at provincial points of entry who do not meet eligibilit­y criteria are advised that they must leave the province.

P.E.I. grants entry to those from outside of Atlantic Canada, but only if they have a pre-approved travel exemption. These exemptions include those who own property in P.E.I. and are considered seasonal residents.

New Brunswick allows for travel from outside of the Atlantic bubble under certain humanitari­an or compassion­ate purposes, such as to attend a funeral, with or without an exemption from the requiremen­t of self-isolation. Canadian residents who own property in New Brunswick or have family living in the province can enter provided they self-isolate for 14 days.

All provinces have allowances for essential travel.

HOW DOES THE ATLANTIC BUBBLE WORK?

In general, any citizen who lives in Atlantic Canada may travel anywhere in the region without the need to self-isolate, providing they are healthy. Anyone who has travelled to the Atlantic provinces from other provinces and can prove they have completed 14 days of self-isolation is also free to travel within the region.

All provinces require some sort of proof of residence (government-issued ID, utility bill or bank statement) in Atlantic Canada to enter.

There have been discrepanc­ies between provinces regarding entry guidelines that have raised concerns from others.

Recently a traveller passing through Nova Scotia after travelling from the U.S. to Canada via Toronto on a student visa was denied entry to P.E.I. because he didn’t have the proper documentat­ion and did not self-isolate upon arrival in Nova Scotia.

The traveller tested positive for COVID-19 after being denied entry to P.E.I. and is being held at a federal quarantine facility.

In response to this, as of July 7, all travellers to Nova Scotia must complete a selfdeclar­ation form that provides informatio­n on where they plan to self-quarantine, as well as contact informatio­n so officials can follow up daily. Other Atlantic bubble provinces already required similar paperwork.

WHAT ABOUT AIR TRAVEL?

Right now, only four Canadian airports allow internatio­nal flights to land: Calgary, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. However, asymptomat­ic passengers on those flights deemed safe may board a connecting flight to their final destinatio­n.

That means internatio­nal travellers that have been permitted to enter Canada and Canadian citizens travelling to other parts of Canada who need to self-isolate upon arrival could be on the same plane as those who do not (for example, someone flying within the Atlantic provinces).

There are, however, significan­t screening protocols in place that prevent symptomati­c individual­s from getting on a flight to or within Canada, and by the end of September temperatur­e screening will be instituted in Canada’s 15 largest airports, including Halifax and St. John’s, and checks will be required as part of the departure procedure for domestic, transporte­r and internatio­nal flights.

Mask-wearing, where physical distancing is not possible, has been proven to reduce the spread of COVID19 by stopping the spread of droplets from a sick person, and all major airlines in Canada currently have mandatory mask-wearing as part of their protocols.

Only Canadian citizens and permanent residents or foreign nationals exempt from the travel ban are allowed to travel to Canada via any means, including by air.

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 ?? KEITH GOSSE FILE PHOTO/THE TELEGRAM ?? Passengers arrive at St. John’s Internatio­nal Airport on July 3, the first day of the COVID-19 Atlantic bubble. Even with the loosening of borders in the region, many travel restrictio­ns still apply across Canada.
KEITH GOSSE FILE PHOTO/THE TELEGRAM Passengers arrive at St. John’s Internatio­nal Airport on July 3, the first day of the COVID-19 Atlantic bubble. Even with the loosening of borders in the region, many travel restrictio­ns still apply across Canada.

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