On Thursday (April 22), Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government is considering other measures to protect international borders, but will not block flights from India to Canada.
In an interview Wednesday, Trudeau said community transmission remains the main concern, not international travel. “We’re looking at a range of potential measures for specific regions and types of travelers. We will be working with experts and authorities across the country to make sure that what we do is science-based and will keep people safe,” Trudeau said. “There’s no question that it will be very important to continue the measures that we have at the border and perhaps strengthen them.”
British Columbia has now reported 39 cases of the b1.617 variant from India, which is known as a double mutation. The cases were identified on April 4, and the province was able to determine this lineage through whole-genome sequencing. On Wednesday, the first case of the b1.617 variant was reported in Quebec. India, now a danger zone for the outbreak, reported nearly 300,000 new infections Wednesday, the highest daily rise in the world, pushing the country’s hospitals to the brink of collapse.
On Thursday morning, Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole (R-Texas) called on the federal government to immediately suspend flights to hotspot countries like India. “Throughout April, dozens of new coronary pneumonia-positive flights landed in Canada. They pose the risk of new mutations, including dual mutations that are currently overwhelming the Indian health care system,” O’Toole said. “We have only a small chance to act, and we must act now.” According to government data, 35 flights from India have arrived in Canada in the past two weeks with at least one patient on board.
Trudeau, however, has persisted in his refusal to ban Indian flights: “We have taken the toughest measures in the world on the border issue. We see direct flights from many countries, but also indirect flights, and making sure we have a system in place to deal with all of them is something we did a few months ago.” He also wouldn’t admit that the P.1 variant entered Canada because of a weak quarantine system. The feared variant, which originated in Brazil, has led to 2,062 cases in British Columbia. Under current regulations, passengers flying to Canada must provide proof of a negative PCR test within 72 hours of departure. Upon arrival in Canada, they must undergo another test and quarantine at a designated government hotel until they receive a second test result. The province’s health official, Dr. Bonnie Henry, has previously expressed concern that the federal government is not providing enough resources to ensure international travelers maintain the necessary 14-day quarantine. Trudeau, however, said:- “Over the last few months, we’ve been increasing resources, increasing spot checks, and even increasing visits while people are in quarantine.”
And in Ontario, where Canada’s outbreak is severe, Premier Doug Ford has repeatedly apologized for the previous lockdown measures and confirmed that the province is working on a paid sick leave program for Ontario workers. However, there was no word on exactly when that would be announced.
Ford said people forced into quarantine shouldn’t worry about their jobs or income. He said the province is currently working on a solution because the federal government has not yet expanded its own policy. However, Ford did not confirm a specific date when pressed on when more details would be announced. The Ontario government had said earlier this week that it hoped the federal budget released Tuesday would fill the “gap” in the program.
Ford, fighting back tears, also apologized for the increase in police enforcement powers and the closure of the playground last Friday. The new lockdown, which allows police and law enforcement officers to stop vehicles or people on the street at will and question them, was introduced after a surge in confirmed cases and hospitalizations in the province. But after the measures were announced, large crowds and health experts objected, and some police forces in the province said they would not conduct random checks. Ford said his government acted too quickly and made mistakes. “Simply put, we got it wrong. We made a mistake. These decisions have a lot of people very worried. They’ve made a lot of people angry and upset. I know we got it wrong. I know we made a mistake, and for that I’m sorry, and I sincerely apologize.” “I will always try to do the right thing.” Ford continued. “If we did something wrong, we’ll fix it.”
As of Thursday, the outbreak in Ontario remained severe. A total of 2,350 people were sick in hospitals, including 806 in intensive care units and 588 requiring ventilator breathing, both of which are the highest levels in the province’s history. Earlier, one of Ford’s staff members was diagnosed, and he remains alone in his home in quarantine.
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