{"id":72805,"date":"2021-01-04T13:26:06","date_gmt":"2021-01-04T18:26:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mileniostadium.com\/?p=72805"},"modified":"2021-01-04T13:26:06","modified_gmt":"2021-01-04T18:26:06","slug":"air-travellers-entering-canada-must-soon-have-a-negative-covid-19-test-before-arriving-ottawa-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mileniostadium.com\/canada\/air-travellers-entering-canada-must-soon-have-a-negative-covid-19-test-before-arriving-ottawa-says\/","title":{"rendered":"Air travellers entering Canada must soon have a negative COVID-19 test before arriving, Ottawa says"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Air
Travellers and airline staff walk through a quiet Pearson airport, in Toronto, on Dec. 21, 2020. (Evan Mitsui\/CBC)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Air passengers entering Canada will soon need to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test before\u00a0arriving in the country, the federal government announced today.<\/strong><\/p>\n

There have been more than 7 million entries into Canada since COVID-19 began. CBSA explains why<\/a><\/p>\n

Under the new protocol, travellers must receive a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test within a 72-hour period prior to boarding a plane.\u00a0Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc said he\u00a0expects the new rule\u00a0will be in force within a week.<\/p>\n

The measure does not replace the federal government’s mandatory 14-day quarantine period, Public Safety Minister Bill Blair warned.<\/p>\n

<\/section>\n

“This is not an alternative to quarantine. It’s an additional layer,” Blair said during a public health briefing.<\/p>\n

He said Ottawa is discussing implementing\u00a0more testing protocols at land points of entry\u00a0with a number of provincial\u00a0health authorities,\u00a0but added\u00a0that effort\u00a0involves “issues of some complexity”\u00a0the government is still\u00a0working through.<\/p>\n

The federal government hasn’t fully explained\u00a0how the pre-boarding testing will be administered to incoming travellers, though Transport Minister Marc Garneau \u2014 who is in talks with airlines and officials in his department \u2014\u00a0is expected to share more details Thursday.<\/p>\n

Lack of information ‘causing panic,’ Conservatives say<\/h2>\n

Conservative health critic Michelle Rempel\u00a0Garner criticized the Liberal government over\u00a0the timing of the announcement and said the lack of\u00a0policy\u00a0specifics will lead to anxiety and confusion for Canadians\u00a0abroad.<\/p>\n

“I’m glad to hear that the Trudeau Liberals are finally taking our advice and looking at implementing testing protocols for international travellers returning to Canada,” she\u00a0said in a media\u00a0statement.<\/p>\n

<\/section>\n

“However, the lack of details around this announcement is causing panic among Canadians currently abroad. The government has had months to implement a system and today put forward a haphazard announcement that is a response to headlines rather than an actual thoughtful and transparent plan.”<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for Ontario Premier Doug Ford, meanwhile, said the provincial government is pleased the federal government responded to Ford’s “ongoing calls for the federal government to take action at our borders.”<\/p>\n

“This is welcome news,” said\u00a0Ivana Yelich. “We look forward to seeing further progress by the federal government when it comes to getting pre-departure testing in place at Toronto Pearson International Airport.”<\/p>\n

‘Blindsided’<\/h2>\n

In response to Wednesday’s news, the National Airlines Council of Canada said the country’s\u00a0aviation industry has\u00a0been calling\u00a0for a more coordinated testing approach\u00a0“to avoid a rushed and disjointed rollout” of testing requirements.<\/p>\n

“Today’s announcement occurred without prior coordination with industry, and with many major operational and communication details still to be determined,” council president Mike McNaney\u00a0said in a media\u00a0statement.<\/p>\n

“At a broader level, the announcement only addresses one element of the path forward \u2014 the utilization of testing to help further protect public health. We strongly believe it must also be utilized in conjunction with measures to reduce quarantine levels, as is being done in countries all around the world.”<\/p>\n

<\/section>\n

An industry source \u2014 who spoke to CBC News on the condition of confidentiality \u2014 said the airlines were “totally blindsided by the announcement.”<\/p>\n

“Airlines were not consulted,” said the source.\u00a0“It was clear to them that the government had not studied whether or not PCR tests are even available and what the rules would be around who should be denied boarding.”<\/p>\n

Blair underlined that the point of the new requirement is not to shorten quarantine times and said it’s “important not to conflate the two issues.”<\/p>\n

Travellers unable to get tested won’t be left behind<\/h2>\n

In an interview with CBC News, LeBlanc\u00a0said it will be up to travellers\u00a0to arrange for PCR tests\u00a0themselves, given that those embarking on non-essential trips overseas have chosen already\u00a0to flout public health guidelines.<\/p>\n

“The government of Canada obviously is not in a position to set up in hotels or all-inclusive resorts or Canadian consulates,” he said.<\/p>\n

Travellers who are unable to procure\u00a0tests before their flights home won’t be stranded abroad, LeBlanc said. Immediately upon\u00a0their return to Canada, he said, those passengers\u00a0will be required to isolate at\u00a0federally-approved sites\u00a0until they obtain\u00a0negative test\u00a0results and meet other quarantine commitments.<\/p>\n

<\/section>\n

The minister said it would be “irresponsible” for any Canadian traveller to\u00a0sidestep\u00a0the testing requirements.<\/p>\n

He added that pre-boarding testing would not affect Alberta’s ongoing pilot project for international travellers, which allows people to leave quarantine if they receive a negative test after returning to Canada.<\/p>\n

Border agency boosts airport presence<\/h2>\n

The additional measure\u00a0comes as Ontario Finance Minister Rod Phillips\u00a0is under fire\u00a0over news\u00a0that he had travelled to the Caribbean island of St. Barts for a personal vacation earlier this month. Phillips is on his way back to Canada after Ontario Premier Doug Ford demanded his return.<\/p>\n

Quebec Liberal MNA Pierre Arcand has also\u00a0received criticism for visiting Barbados during the holidays, a trip Arcand now says he regrets.<\/p>\n

\"Public
Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair says border officers are beefing up their presence in Canadian airports to reinforce public health messaging as the federal government moves to implement negative COVID-19 test requirements for incoming travellers. (Adrian Wyld\/The Canadian Press)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The\u00a0Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) will also be beefing up its presence at airports across Canada to\u00a0ensure travellers are adhering to public health guidelines, Blair said.<\/p>\n

“Additional border officers will be present at various positions to reinforce compliance messaging,” the minister said, adding that teams already\u00a0have been sent to customs and baggage areas and inspection lines to speak to travellers about their obligations \u2014 and the consequences of failing\u00a0to follow the rules.<\/p>\n

The federal government has advised against non-essential travel outside Canada since the start of the pandemic, though officials noted Wednesday that about two per cent of COVID-19 cases have been brought into the country from overseas.<\/p>\n

CBC<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Air passengers entering Canada will soon need to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test before\u00a0arriving in the country, the federal government announced today<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":72811,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3539,17411],"tags":[18840,3570,18841],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/mileniostadium.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Air-travellers-entering-Canada-must-soon-have-a-negative-COVID-19-test-before-arriving-Ottawa-says-Milenio-Stadium-Canada.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mileniostadium.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72805"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mileniostadium.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mileniostadium.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mileniostadium.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mileniostadium.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72805"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mileniostadium.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72805\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mileniostadium.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/72811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mileniostadium.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72805"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mileniostadium.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72805"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mileniostadium.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72805"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}