All passengers who are traveling to Canada aged five years and above will need to take negative Covid-19 test results before they can set foot in the country. This ruling will be implemented starting from the 7th of January.
This decision was announced by Transport Minister Marc Garneau on Thursday. The federal government is introducing this rule in an effort to control the rising number of Coronavirus cases within the country over the past few days. Canada ended the year 2020 with around 8400 new Corona cases on the 31st of December.
Additional Restrictions To Curb The Spread Of Corona
Passengers will have to obtain a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) Covid-19 test within 72 hours prior to their scheduled time and date of departure. PCR tests are treated as the gold standard for detecting even minute traces of Coronavirus within the body.
The minister has been in constant touch with Canadian airline companies in this regard. He also mentioned that the government had zeroed down on January 7th as the starting date for implementing this rule keeping in mind the concerns of the airline companies. They believe that a week’s time will be sufficient for all major airlines traveling to Canada to make the necessary arrangements.
These rules will be enforced in a very strict manner for passengers across the board. People will be permitted to board the plane only after they are able to produce the relevant documentation showing negative Covid-19 results. In case someone fails to get their testing done in spite of the availability of clinics at the place of departure, they will have to reschedule their flights.
14-day Quarantine Still Compulsory
This decision to implement pre-departure corona testing is in addition to the existing rules and regulations to prevent the influx of new cases from outside the country. Already the government has made it mandatory for all airline passengers from outside the country to enter into 14-day quarantine on arrival.
The government is also making additional efforts to boost surveillance of those arriving from abroad during their quarantine period. This is being done to ensure that travelers are strictly abiding by the rules of quarantine. In case anyone violates the rules of the Quarantine Act, they are liable for strict punishment which can include hefty fines of up to 750000 Canadian Dollars or six months in prison.
If someone is traveling to Canada, the passengers will have to inform the federal government officials in advance of their quarantine plans in the country. however, anyone who does not have adequate isolation arrangements will have to enter into mandatory quarantine in federal facilities.
Problems In Implementation?
The National Airlines Council of Canada (NACC) has pointed out that the timeframe of one week is not adequate. The President and CEO of NACC, Mike McNaney has also mentioned that lack of information and guidance to implement the policies in compliance with government regulations will cause a lot of problems both for airlines and passengers.
