Flights continue to arrive amid concerns
WE ARE A COMMUNITY IN WHICH EVERY LIFE AND EVERY PERSON MATTERS. THIS IS WHAT AN EPIDEMIC SHOWS US: HOW VULNERABLE WE ALL ARE, HOW DEPENDENT ON THE CONSIDERATE BEHAVIOUR OF OTHERS. — GERMANY’S CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL
OT TAWA • Despite sweeping travel restrictions banning foreigners from entering Canada, flights from around the world are still landing at four of the nation’s airports as thousands of Canadians finish desperate journeys to come home.
Over the past few days, people on social media have expressed concern about flights coming in to one of four major Canadian airports from countries with high numbers of COVID-19 cases, such as China.
Some even implied without evidence that foreigners were on those flights, despite major announcements by the Trudeau government on Monday and Wednesday that nearly all non-canadians would be barred from entering into the country.
As of 00:01 a.m. ET Thursday, airlines now have a host of screening obligations they have to obey before anyone even embarks on a flight heading toward Canada.
First of all, they must ensure that only Canadian citizens and permanent residents (and their spouse and children) as well as diplomats and flight attendants are getting on to their plane.
According to numbers from Global Affairs Canada, there are currently over 430,000 Canadians who have signed up to its Registration of Canadians Abroad database.
Airline staff must also verify if the traveller is showing any known symptoms of the novel coronavirus.
“This would include the operator asking simple health questions, looking for visible signs of illness prior to boarding, and possibly referring the traveller for a further medical assessment,” Transport Canada said.
If there is any indication of sickness, that person will be barred from returning to Canada for at least 14 days (and until they are asymptomatic) or until they can prove with a medical certificate that they do not carry the virus.
The penalties imposed upon airline companies that do not respect any of these new regulations are minimum $25,000.
“Both air carriers and air operators have been extremely co-operative, recognizing the need to work together. Because of the evolving situation, however, these measures may take some time to fully implement, which is to be expected,” said Transport Canada spokesperson Sau Sau Liu via email.
Were a passenger flying to Canada to start showing symptoms during the flight, then they must immediately be isolated and the crew must don protective equipment.
Thursday morning, the Journal de Montréal’s front page featured a picture of an Air China flight landing at Montreal-trudeau airport in which the co-pilot was visibly wearing a protective mask. There is yet to be any indication that it was worn because of a suspected case of COVID-19 on the flight.
The newspaper spoke to 15 of the passengers who had just landed, all of whom claimed they were either Canadian citizens or permanent residents returning home.
A whole new host of questions and verifications await travellers upon landing, said the Canada Border Services Agency.
Among them are new screening questions on electronic questionnaires and at border guard booths asking travellers where they’ve been and if they have COVID-19-LIKE symptoms, as well as “roving officers” who’s job is to observe passengers for illness.
“CBSA officers are conducting the initial screening of the travellers and are referring those experiencing flu-like symptoms to a Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) staff member for further evaluation,” spokesperson Judith Gadbois-stcyr said in an email.
Any passenger displaying symptoms also won’t be permitted to leave via public transit.
And even “if they do not have any symptoms, it is strongly recommended that they self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival to Canada. They also receive the PHAC pamphlet with symptoms and recommendation to self-isolate,” Gadbois-st-cyr added.