Canada to announce new travel restrictions

[vegs1]

One thing to remember about testing is that it only shows that specific moment in time. You could still end up positive in the days to follow so without quarantining, the virus could still end up circulating.

 

[TammyLynn33]

As someone who is skeptical of LTC after working years in it until we were bought out by a big company , I think the Uk variant is simply an excuse in all this. They can raise their hands and be like well it’s the new variant we couldn’t stop it it’s so transmissible .. instead of putting up his “ iron ring “
Why are we not using rapid testing at these homes prior to shift change? Or for visitors ? We hear of all these rapid tests but where are they being implemented ? Why aren’t vaccines going 24/7?
There’s still not enough staff, no game plan for when it gets into a home , how to isolate residents , especially those with dementia who don’t understand .. ( trust me I’ve walked them into their rooms in a GI outbreak and they’ve followed me right back out ) we aren’t utilizing the military ? Where is an individual workers responsibility in this if they are living with someone who traveled out of country ?
I believe this is all real don’t get me wrong but I’m starting to feel we need to adapt and learn to live with this as safe as possible for everyone .

The long term care homes fall under provincial jurisdiction so the federal government can’t do much there.

But the two are related. The long term care home in Barrie (I think that could be wrong city). Almost all residents are positive and people have died. It’s been found that it’s the UK variant and was brought in by a worker who was in contact with someone who had been in the UK. So this shows how things like travel can have a huge impact on the vulnerable.

 

[ilovetotravel1977]

I can't imagine this is good news for WestJet/Air Canada. I keep getting offers for cheap flights and deals if I book by x date. But they are businesses that are trying to survive. We might actually see a day where we are paying them to ground their planes.

This should give you an idea:

https://news.paxeditions.com/news/airline/transat-suspends-flights-toronto-through-april-30

 

[ilovetotravel1977]

The airlines are just preparing for new rules, which will eliminate most international spring breaks across the country.

 

[Jrb1979]

The airlines are just preparing for new rules, which will eliminate most international spring breaks across the country.

It's unfortunate this is happening to them. I do think come fall things will be much better.

As far as Canadian airlines, I have never flew with any of them. Cause I am so close to the border I always fly out of Buffalo.

 

[TammyLynn33]

It's unfortunate this is happening to them. I do think come fall things will be much better.

As far as Canadian airlines, I have never flew with any of them. Cause I am so close to the border I always fly out of Buffalo.

Me too until now . I have a fairly hefty travel bank and when I asked about extending I was basically told they are flying normally so too bad I can’t get down to hop a plane . Here’s hoping for Xmas .. had it been a domestic carrier I could at least hope to trace in Canada ..sigh

 

[Avasmama]

Travel is making things worse. That long term care home in Barrie? How many people have to die in cases connected to someone who travelled before you accept that it does have an affect? Or do you not count those deaths because the people are elderly?

In case you were wondering 46 people have already died due to that one outbreak.

I love how people love to degrade others for stating an opinion. You should be ashamed of yourself for jumping to conclusions and insulting someone you don't know. Do you think that makes people want to see your point of view more? From what I have heard a person was quarantining with someone that was working at that facility. It's a horrible loop-hole in the quarantine policy that I wish the government would change. The staff also failed to isolate the positive patients from the non-positive.

Please don't lecture me on the elderly when the government has done a big fat zero to help our nursing homes. In Quebec, 25 percent of our cases and 70 percent of our deaths are from CHSLD and other long-care homes. The government not only failed the first wave, but the second. Do you recall the armed forces being called in here? These homes are incredibly mismanaged and employees underpaid. Workers have spread the virus by working at multiple centers or hospitals and not being tested enough. The government poses no solutions and continues to blame the public. It's truly criminal what is happening. Maybe, we need to hold the government more accountable in areas that matter.

I truly hope you have a nice day and learn this horrible Covid situation doesn’t give you an excuse to belittle others.

 

[mshanson3121]

Something needs to be done ... https://www.cp24.com/news/ontario-g...19-testing-pilot-project-at-pearson-1.5282729

It's kind of late though isn't it? We already have both strains in Canada.

 

[mshanson3121]

I'm all for more restrictions if they make sense. Does it make sense to hurt or economy more when travellers are not the ones driving the infections? Trudeau said it himself. Hotel quarantine makes no sense for a country like Canada. We depend on the import of food and other goods, which is often transported by commercial jet. Australia is a self-sufficient country. Travel is down 93 percent since the new restrictions were put in place. People are listening and canceling travel. If we reduce flights even more I expect the price of food and other good will continue to sky rocket. The government should setup mandatory testing at all airports. Why is Canada not able to do this when other modern countries around the world have been doing this for months? We can also increase surveillance and calls to people in quarantine. Anyhow, just my two cents.

1. Travellers are definitely helping to drive infections. Our latest outbreak here was in fact driven by people who travelled for Christmas. It resulted in deaths.
2. Travel is down, but there are still enough people travelling to be an issue. There are still people travelling for fun all the time, all over the world, and coming back with Covid. Almost every single day we're being told of exposure on such and such a flight.

You do pose a good question re: the lack of testing in airports, but honestly, I still don't think that's enough, because a person can test negative at the airport and positive a couple days later.

Why are we not using rapid testing at these homes prior to shift change? Or for visitors ? We hear of all these rapid tests but where are they being implemented ? Why aren’t vaccines going 24/7?

That's easy -

 

[damo]

It's kind of late though isn't it? We already have both strains in Canada.

I think the point of the article was more about the number of travellers who were travelling with covid.

"According to the province, 6,580 tests for the novel coronavirus have been conducted as part of the pilot project. Of those tests, 146 came back positive and of those positive results, four have been screened as potential U.K. variant and will undergo further investigation.

The program, which launched on Jan. 6, offers voluntary testing for COVID-19 to any international travellers staying in Ontario for at least 14 days and so far has a positivity rate of about 2.26 per cent. Participants receive their test results within 24 to 48 hours"

 

[TammyLynn33]

I think the point of the article was more about the number of travellers who were travelling with covid.

"According to the province, 6,580 tests for the novel coronavirus have been conducted as part of the pilot project. Of those tests, 146 came back positive and of those positive results, four have been screened as potential U.K. variant and will undergo further investigation.

The program, which launched on Jan. 6, offers voluntary testing for COVID-19 to any international travellers staying in Ontario for at least 14 days and so far has a positivity rate of about 2.26 per cent. Participants receive their test results within 24 to 48 hours"

Sad but 2.26% is lower than most communities, luckily numbers are going down tho .
The voluntary program was also in place before a negative test within 72 hours was instituted . Hopefully having to acquire a negative test will catch most of those asymptomatic cases or those trying to hide symptoms to travel , so that number should also go down even if marginally .

 

[ottawamom]

Think of the 2.26% as extra Covid cases because without the travel they wouldn't be here.

 

[damo]

Sad but 2.26% is lower than most communities, luckily numbers are going down tho .
The voluntary program was also in place before a negative test within 72 hours was instituted . Hopefully having to acquire a negative test will catch most of those asymptomatic cases or those trying to hide symptoms to travel , so that number should also go down even if marginally .

It will catch some but will still miss anyone whose numbers weren't high enough to be detected three days before travel.

We also have to realize that this test was voluntary, so anyone who actually thought they had covid and was on the plane probably wouldn't have volunteered for the test.

We keep shutting everything down inside Canada to stop the spread but we keep letting infected people into the country to increase the spread. It makes no sense.

 

[vegs1]

I'm all for more restrictions if they make sense. Does it make sense to hurt or economy more when travellers are not the ones driving the infections?


The UK, Brazil and South African variant got here because of travel. Travel did drive these infections.

 

[damo]

Saw this on CP24 today.

"While travel exposures account for less than two per cent of all Canada’s COVID-19 cases, the number of cases in recent travellers, and people they came into close contact with after arriving, shows continual growth in recent months.

In December, 486 cases of COVID-19 were diagnosed in recent travellers, the most since March and up from 312 in November and 204 in October. Despite mandatory two-week quarantines for international travellers, there were 1,258 COVID-19 cases confirmed in people who had close contact with a recent traveller in December, up from 744 in November and 704 in October.

In the first three weeks of January, 384 travel cases and 607 traveller-contact cases were confirmed."

 

[Avasmama]

I do think we should have stricter measures, but I don't think a hotel quarantine is necessarily the solution. It boggles my mind that we don't have mandatory PCR tests in all Canadian airports and even follow-up tests three or four days later. If someone tests positive at the airport or at home they should be put in a quarantine hotel.

 

[damo]

I do think we should have stricter measures, but I don't think a hotel quarantine is necessarily the solution. It boggles my mind that we don't have mandatory PCR tests in all Canadian airports and even follow-up tests three or four days later. If someone tests positive at the airport or at home they should be put in a quarantine hotel.

Still will miss lots of people. Let's say you have testing at the airport and testing three days later. Let's say you test negative at the airport and are sent home into "quarantine" but still have visitors the second, third and fourth day. You can be positive the second day and infect your visitors on the second day and third day and the fourth day (you won't get your results from your fourth day testing until the fifth day).

 

[Avasmama]

Still will miss lots of people. Let's say you have testing at the airport and testing three days later. Let's say you test negative at the airport and are sent home into "quarantine" but still have visitors the second, third and fourth day. You can be positive the second day and infect your visitors on the second day and third day and the fourth day (you won't get your results from your fourth day testing until the fifth day).

People who break the rules should receive hefty fines. I don't know why some people have such a hard time listening to the rules. Hopefully, we see things improve over the next months. ❤

 

[wdwmom3]

Heard they are planning to announce new restrictions on travel today.

 

[ottawamom]

Finally, they dangle the carrot so it's not a shock and then take forever to announce what they plan to do. Just rip the band-aid off and get on with things.