Canada restricts travel
Canada’s new travel restrictions to the Caribbean and Mexico could affect at least one route to Phoenix as the United States’ northern neighbor tries to prevent the spread of variants of COVID-19.
Sweeping new international travel restrictions announced Friday in Canada could affect at least one route to Phoenix as the United States’ northern neighbor works to prevent the spread of new variants of the novel coronavirus arriving from abroad.
During an address to his country on Jan. 29, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Air Canada, West Jet, Sunwing and Air Transat airlines would voluntarily suspend flights to “sun destinations” in Mexico and the Caribbean through April 30.
In addition, international travelers are required to arrive in Canada through just four cities: Vancouver, Toronto,
Montreal and Calgary.
“With the challenges we currently face with COVID-19 both here at home and abroad, we all agree that now is just not the time to be flying,” Trudeau said.
What Canada’s travel restrictions mean for Phoenix
The suspension of the four airlines’ flights does not affect Phoenix directly, but the requirement to arrive at specific Canadian airports stands to affect one Canada-to-metro Phoenix route.
Swoop airline offers a popular flight between Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport and Edmonton, Alberta, which is not one of the airports approved for international arrivals.
Phoenix Mesa-Gateway Airport spokesperson Ryan Smith said the airport is waiting to hear from Swoop about how the new requirements would affect that route.
When reached by email, a spokeswoman for Swoop told The Arizona Republic that the airline is seeking clarity from the Canadian government on how the new measures would affect its flight to Mesa.
Canada reports COVID-19 cases on flights to Phoenix
Canada has reported several cases of
COVID-19 in passengers traveling between Canada and the United States, including on flights to Phoenix.
Canadian airlines are required to post information about flights on which passengers may have been exposed to COVID-19 through other passengers.
The government website, which lists cases confirmed in the past two weeks, shows that airlines have reported three cases of COVID-19 confirmed in passengers on flights between Canada and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
Those are:
● Jan. 21: Air Canada Flight1057 from Phoenix to Calgary in rows 1 to 4.
● Jan. 18: American Airlines Flight 220 from Phoenix to Calgary in rows 17 to 23.
● Jan. 14: WestJet Flight 1403 from Phoenix to Calgary in rows 1 to 6 and 11 to 17.
Swoop has reported no confirmed cases on its flights between Canada and Mesa Gateway in recent weeks.
At the beginning of the pandemic, the airline reported two flights between Winnipeg and Mesa with confirmed cases.
Those occurred on March 8 and March 12, 2020.
Other new Canadian travel restrictions
Along with obtaining a negative COVID-19 test before boarding their flights, passengers will receive a COVID-19 PCR test upon arrival in Canada and be required to quarantine at their own expense in a government-approved hotel while awaiting results.
Trudeau estimated the cost of that quarantine would be more than $2,000 Canadian (about $1,560 U.S.).
Those who receive a negative test result will be allowed to complete the remainder of the mandatory 14-day quarantine period at home under “increased surveillance and enforcement.”
Those who fail to quarantine could face penalties including six months in prison and/or up-to $750,000 Canadian in fines.
Those who test positive will be required to quarantine at a designated government facility. It was unclear from the announcement how long that quarantine would last and who would bear the cost of it.
Canada is also working to set up additional COVID-19 testing sites for entry at its land border.