The spring break in Canada in March stimulated people’s desire to travel within the country, resulting in a 60% increase in confirmed cases on domestic flights in April, especially in British Columbia and Alberta.
After the outbreak, the number of international flights to and from Canada decreased, and the number of confirmed cases related to international flights decreased from a peak of 331 in January to 193 in April; however, due to lax awareness of the epidemic and domestic travel during spring break, the number of confirmed cases on domestic flights rose sharply to a record 331 in April, especially in British Columbia and Alberta.
Canada’s “Globe and Mail” (Globe and Mail) cited a federal flight data report that the number of confirmed cases on international routes, from 331 in January, has been reduced to 193 in April; but the situation on domestic routes is the opposite, the number of confirmed cases from 195 in January, has increased sharply to 331 in April, the data caused public health experts and government leaders concern.
According to Srinivas Murthy, an infectious disease expert, the data reflect that the chain of infection has been imported from abroad to the country, and “if we only focus on the border (prevention), it will not help solve the internal problems.” He said authorities must stop the outbreak from spreading to areas with fewer confirmed cases.
In the western Canadian provinces of British Columbia and central Alberta, the number of confirmed cases recorded on flights rose sharply in late March and early April, when spring break spurred domestic travel.
In April, 150 departing flights from Alberta were detected with passengers infected with the disease, including 30 from Fort McMurray to Calgary, where a state of emergency was declared, and 115 inbound flights, only 10 of which were international. Premier Jason Kenney (Jason Kenney) last week announced the implementation of city-wide closure measures to curb the spread of the disease, but did not implement travel restrictions.
According to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, more than 130 flights in the province were found to be infected between March 19 and April 9, with 80 per cent belonging to domestic flights. The provincial legal adviser said that unlike Ontario and Quebec, the B.C. government does not have the authority to restrict travel within the province.
BC Public Safety and Legal Affairs Director Mike Farnworth said the provincial government has raised the risk of domestic travel to the federal government to spread the virus, hoping that passengers within Canada and international travelers, as well as the virus must submit a negative test results before boarding. He also reminded travelers planning to enter the province, “We don’t need you right now, this is not the time to travel for tourism.”
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHA) said as many as 2,000 international travellers were tested for the infection upon arrival in Canada in the eight weeks ending April 22.
The Globe and Mail sent letters to the federal public safety minister and the federal government regarding the flight data report, inquiring whether anti-epidemic measures would be implemented for domestic flights to curb the spread of the virus within the country, but a spokesperson did not respond.
Recent Comments