The program, which is expected to last 26 weeks and will be studied by provincial and federal public health authorities, is expected to inform broader government policy, Mr. Kenney said at a news conference.
We must find ways to bring back safe travel if were ever going to get the economy firing on all cylinders, Mr. Kenney said, talking over speakerphone, as he was at home self-isolating after one of his cabinet ministers tested positive for the virus. He said he planned to expand the program to Edmontons airport by February.
So far, there are no signs of the program expanding to other parts of the country. When pressed, Patty Hajdu, the countrys health minister, said she was waiting for adequate and accurate research before making a change. Canada announced funding this week for a studythat is testing passengers arriving to Toronto Pearson International Airport for the coronavirus three times over the course of their quarantines. The goal is to evaluate whether a full two weeks of isolation is warranted, and to compare outcomes from different countries with different transmission rates, said Dr. Vivek Goel, a professor of public health at the University of Toronto and a colead on the study.
Without that, he pointed out, it would be politically hard for the Canadian government to admit travelers from far away places where there are lower reported infection rates like New Zealand, while keeping the border closed to its neighbors and biggest trading partners, the Americans.
I hope it would become easier for politicians to say, This is the framework, informed by data and science, and we will relax border controls from these countries, Dr. Goel said.
In the meantime, he admitted he had been looking at travel packages to Antigua and was planning for two weeks of self-isolation upon return.
We do not survive the winter without at least a week of sun, he said.read more
Glimmers of Hope for a Winter With Tropical Travel
