YVR screening officers test positive for COVID-19
Three screening officers at Vancouver airport have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.
The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) confirmed the cases in an email Wednesday.
Spokeswoman Sandra Alvarez said there are 700 screening officers working at YVR, and three have tested positive for the coronavirus.
Alvarez didn’t provide any further information but said the agency makes the well-being of screening officers and those working in and travelling through Canadian airports its top priority. It’s unclear when the employees tested positive and whether they came into contact with passengers or other staff.
The agency also didn’t say whether the cases are linked to airlines. Since June 3, there have been 36 flights with confirmed cases of the virus that have either arrived or departed from Vancouver airport.
Of those, seven flights with COVID-19 on-board were just announced two days ago.
Vancouver Coastal Health has also been contacted and is looking into the three screening officers testing positive.
“There has been no impact on our screening operations,” Alvarez said in an email.
The authority referred questions to the company that employs the screening staff, G4S Secure Solution.
In an emailed statement, G4S confirmed the three infections and that proper quarantine and reporting policies were followed.
“Due to privacy, we are unable to confirm details as it relates to our employees, but G4S management is in constant contact with the three employees to monitor their health,” the statement read. “G4S has stringent health-andsafety policies in place that prioritize our front-line team and the people they serve, and we are committed to their health and well-being.”
Later in the day, the airport authority confirmed the risk to the public remained low.
“Safety and notification procedures have been followed and we have verified that CATSA and G4S are working directly with BCCDC (B.C. Centre for Disease Control) and public health officials and are following their direction and protocols,” said YVR Airport Authority spokesperson Chris Devauld.
“We are confident in the measures currently underway at YVR. As part of our multi-faceted YVR TAKEcare program, we are implementing strict safety and cleanliness measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to ensure the health-and-safety of everyone at our airport.”
Meanwhile, B.C. Transportation Minister Claire Trevena sent a letter Wednesday to her federal counterpart asking for better information from airlines so that public health officials can do contact-tracing instead of alerting the public about every flight with COVID19.
“The data our public health officials currently receive is not necessarily complete and is sometimes unusable,” says Trevena, in the letter to Transport Minister Marc Garneau.
“Instead of listing the name and contact information of the person on the plane, the data often includes the name of a travel agency that booked the flight or includes a frequent-flyer number or the name of the individual who bought the ticket but may not have flown.”
She says that means health officials have to list flights with a positive COVID-19 case, “which raises public concern.”