Variables: Banning flights from India and Pakistan for a period of 30 days | Corona Virus

Consequently, passengers leaving India or Pakistan after this time will have to pass through another airport before entering Canada. The federal government adds another condition, as another negative test will be required during this last leg.

The federal government made the announcement late Thursday during a virtual press conference attended by several members of the Trudeau government.

This is an interim measure, while we assess the evolution of the situation and determine appropriate measures for the future.

The decision comes after Public Health Canada (PHAC) discovered the existence of a file Disproportionate increase The announcement stated that positive cases are for travelers departing from India or Pakistan.

According to Health Minister Patty Hajdu, flights from India account for 20% of passengers entering Canada, but 50% of all positive tests are at the border.

However, some non-passenger flights will continue to be permitted between Canada, India and Pakistan. To ensure a constant supply of vaccines, personal protective equipment and other necessitiesTransport Minister Omar Al-Ghubra reassured.

This permission will allow the doses of COVISHIELD – the Indian version of the AstraZeneca vaccine – that the Trudeau government has requested to be received in Canada, That will eventually arrive later than expectedAccording to what was said by Major General Danny Fortin, in charge of the vaccination in Canada, Thursday.

Air Canada suspends flights

And quickly, Air Canada announced its intention to comply with the Trudeau government’s decision.

The last scheduled passenger flight between the states will leave Toronto tonight at 10:30 PM EST for Delhi, The carrier told Radio Canada.

Air Canada operates a daily line between Toronto and New Delhi, as well as four weekly flights between Vancouver and the Indian capital. However, it does not serve Pakistan.

Affected customers will be informed of the situation and offered options, including Full refundThe company said.

Request from the House of Commons

There was strong pressure on the Trudeau government to ban these direct flights. Concerned about the spread of Brazilian and Indian variants in Canada, elected representatives in the House of Commons called for intensifying controls at the country’s airports.

A proposal by the Quebec Bloc in Parliament was adopted unanimously on Thursday afternoon, without being opposed by the Liberals.

The proposal requested from the government Immediately suspend non-essential passenger flights from countries with high prevalence of the COVID-19 virus, including India and Brazil, as is [avait] Take place during the suspension of flights from the UK on 20 December 2020.

However, the federal government did not ban flights from Brazil on Thursday. The Chair of the Privy Council of Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Dominic LeBlanc, explained that there are currently no direct flights to Canada from Brazil.

Ontario and Quebec wanted it, too

On Twitter, the Prime Minister of Quebec, Francois Legault, welcomed the decision of the Trudeau government, stressing that The variants are numerous and more contagious Should be Ottawa Do more to protect the population.

Earlier today, Ontario and Quebec sent a letter to the prime minister asking him to reduce international flights access and tighten the target on the Canada-US border – an approach backed by British Columbia and Alberta, according to our sources at Legault.

These new measures must be in place for as long as necessary, or until the risks of new variables appearing in Canada as a result of unnecessary air and ground movement are effectively reduced.

According to François Legault, who spoke to the press in the morning, infected travelers were still able to enter the country despite the monitoring measures in place.

What is more discover in the media than the blueprints that allow travelers Bypass mandatory quarantine rules A worrying matter, he said. Just like trading False negative tests for COVID-19.

Travelers arriving in Canada currently must undergo three screening tests: a few days before their arrival; Upon arrival and at the end of the mandatory 14-day quarantine period.

Those arriving in the country by air are also required to stay at the hotel for three days, at their own expense, pending the result of a second COVID-19 test – a rule that does not apply. On the land border of Canada.

The alternative that scares

PHAC has so far identified 51 cases of Indian type in Canada, including At least 39 in British Columbia. Quebec First CaseAnd wednesday and Albertan’s first caseThursday, as I mentioned.

It’s suspected to be more resistant to COVID-19 vaccines than previous strains of the disease, this variant It causes a lot of anxiety, Even if nothing at this time proves to be contagious, he identified several researchers who were asked about this topic.

India set Thursday Nearly 315,000 new cases of COVID-19 within 24 hours, Shattering a terrible world record, while the situation is tense in its hospitals, which are suffering from a lack of oxygen and beds.

Several countries around the world have taken measures to reduce or even ban flights from India, including France, the United Arab Emirates, and New Zealand. Meanwhile, the US is now advising against travel to India, as Britain has added the country to India The Red List.

With Sebastian Buffet and the Canadian press