OTTAWA—The federal government will restrict international flights to Canada to airports in just four major cities, including Toronto, in a further effort to slow the spread ov COVID-19, according to a news report.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to announce the move Monday afternoon, according to a report published in La Presse Monday morning, and it comes after many other countries, including the United States, have already acted to stem the flow of international visitors.
The four airports designated to receive international visitors will be Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto, according to the report.
And all arriving international passengers will be asked whether they have a cough, difficulty breathing or a fever. And they will have to acknowledge that they are being asked to self-isolate for 14 days after their arrival.
Those questions, announced Monday by the Canada Border Services Agency, come after a chaotic weekend at Canada’s airport as many arriving travellers took to social media to complain they had not been screened at all for the virus or told about the need to self-isolate.
Transport Minister Marc Garneau had announced last week that flights would be restricted to a smaller number of airports but was mum on what those airports would be. His office refused to comment Monday on the La Presse report. It was not clear whether flights from the U.S. would be affected by the new restrictions.
With COVID-19 now present in 146 countries or territories, according to the World Health Organization, the federal government has been under pressure to restrict all international visitors and not just those from what had been considered hotspots, such as Iran, Italy and China.
B.C. Premier John Horgan said he pressed Trudeau during a conference call on Friday to step up screening at land crossings, ports and airports. And Quebec Premier François Legault has also been urging Ottawa to restrict the number of foreign visitors.
Nova Scotia and Alberta were so concerned about the lack of federal action that they dispatched provincial officials to airports to press home the message for travellers. “I am very concerned about reports from travellers on inadequate federal screening protocols for international travellers,” Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said on Twitter Sunday. “I have directed provincial officials to deploy provincial resources to (Alberta) airports.”
Canada’s move to restrict flights follows a similar action by many other countries. U.S. President Donald Trump barred entry to any non-U.S. citizens who had visited China, Iran and 26 European nations in the two weeks prior to their trip to America. Ireland and the U.K. were later added to that list. And U.S. citizens returning from nations deemed to be high risk are required to enter the U.S. at one of 13 airports.
Even without the restrictions, international traffic is already being sharply curtailed as would-be travellers heed the advice of public health experts and stay home. That drop-off in demand has in turn prompted airlines to cut back on their flight schedules. American Airlines is cutting international flights by 75 per cent until May 6, Delta Airlines is cutting capacity by 40 per cent and cutbacks are expected as well for Canadian carriers.
Get more of today's top stories in your inbox
Sign up for the Star's Morning Headlines email newsletter for a briefing of the day's big news.
Sign Up Now
2020-03-16 15:00:00Z
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2020/03/16/canadian-government-massively-reducing-international-flights.html
52780666678891
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Canadian government massively reducing international flights - Toronto Star"
Post a Comment