Travelers on 30 flights in Canada probably exposed to Coronavirus

Thirty flights landed at a Canadian airport in the past fortnight with a confirmed case of Coronavirus on board however the travelers on those flights might not have been told of their exposure to this risk. Nine domestic flights and twenty-one international flights from cities in Europe, India, the Middle East, Mexico, and a couple of U.S. cities were pointed out by the federal government. Two of the international flights landed in Montreal, one in Calgary, five in Vancouver, and the highest which is thirteen landed in Toronto.  The most current is an Aero Mexico plane from the city of Mexico, it landed in Montreal on 18^th July.

Travelers are not informed personally by federal public health authorities to get screened, though the government admits that those on board supposedly affected flights might have been exposed to the Coronavirus.  The government website reminds travelers coming back to Canada of a compulsory fourteen-day quarantine which is believed to be the maturation period of the virus, whether the travelers are symptomatic or asymptomatic.  Also, the Public Health Agency of Canada makes known to travelers that they must make their contact available as they arrive, as this is in response to questions on how they intend to execute contact tracing of travelers.  Airlines affirm that they are working in synergy with public health authorities, who have power in any notification procedure.  However, the Federal health authorities attest that these notification procedures are national and regional duties.

Source: Pexels.com

At the regional level, health authorities in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and British Columbia, post flights affected by Coronavirus online, but Ontario, Alberta, and Quebec do not.  For instance, Alberta directs users to the federal list. Authorities in the Atlantic regions do advisory by educating the public as cases arise.  B.C. health authorities particularly state on their website that international and domestic travelers in close contact with a confirmed case of the  Coronavirus are no longer personally informed of their probable exposure.  According to Infection control epidemiologist, Colin Furness not setting up a pro-active system of contact tracing of confirmed cases on the flights is a colossal drawback in Canada’s response system to the pandemic.