Although Canada’s Prime Minister says the border is closed to travellers, with some exceptions, lots of flights ternational flights are arriving,
It seems also that at least some of those flights have passengers with COVID-19.
In the month of August alone up to last weekend, it appears that more than 35 flights arrived in the country carrying passengers testing positive for the virus.
Most of those flights landed in Toronto, followed by Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary.
Canada’s airlines, and indeed most major airlines worldwide, have been suffering enormous financial hardships due to travel restrictions but also to passengers fear of contracting the virus from an other passenger in the confined space of an aircraf.
While the airlines have been campaigning for a loosening of COVID related travel and operational restrictions, the federal government continues to urge Canadians against travel outside the country and insists on a 14-day isolation period upon re-entry whether one has symptoms or not.
A government website lists most instances where COVID-19 has been detected during travel, and in the case of aircraft, which flights and which rows of seats may have been exposed by another passenger with the virus.
The exemptions for travel into Canada, besides Canadian citizens regardless of whether they travelled for business, pleasure or other reasons includes immediate family member of citizens or permanent residents, in addition to foreign nationals for specific reasons such as temporary foreign workers, international students and those who are approved but not yet permanent residents.
The airlines meanwhile point out that in-flight transmission is unlikely due to mandatory mask wearing and other measures.
additional information-sources
- CTV; S Davidson: Aug 17/20: Another group of international flights lands in Canada with COVID-19 patients
- Blog TO: M Miller: Aug 19/20: At least 2 more international flights with COVID-19 cases landed in Toronto last week
- Daily Hive: M Devlin” Aug 10/20; Coronavirus exposure identified on more flights to Canadian cities
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