Temperature checks mandatory in Canada’s four biggest airports

Starting on Thursday, all passengers going through security at Canada’s four biggest airports have to take part in a temperature check, according to a tweet from Transport Canada.

Transport Canada is mandating the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) to conduct temperature checks at all passenger and employee security screening checkpoints at Montreal’s Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, Toronto’s Pearson Airport, Calgary’s International Airport, and Vancouver’s International Airport.

Starting today, new temperature screening regulations from Transport Canada take effect. All passengers flying from Pearson will now have their temperature taken pre-security. For more information visit: https://t.co/08ZzkpgoJ9

— Toronto Pearson (@TorontoPearson) July 30, 2020

The CATSA’s website said that passengers with a temperature lower than 38 C, which is the threshold that was set by Transport Canada, will be able to go through the checkpoint. Passengers with a temperature above 38 C will have to wait 10 minutes in a designated waiting area unless they present a medical certificate that says their elevated temperature is not due to COVID-19. 

In June, the Canadian government announced a plan to introduce mandatory temperature checks in a phased manner.

“Mandatory temperature screenings are yet another measure in our multi-layered approach to help protect the safety of the travelling public and air industry workers,” Canada’s Transport Minister Marc Garneau said at the time. 

Up until now, the Canadian government only mandated temperature checks for all passengers travelling to Canada from international points of departure. 

For the next phase, Transport Canada said that by September, temperature screening stations will be in place in the departure areas of Canada’s next 11 busiest airports; St. John’s, Halifax, Quebec City, Ottawa, Toronto’s Billy Bishop airport, Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Kelowna, and Victoria.