COVID-19 Airport Screening Measures
After several Don Valley West residents reported that no screening measures were in place when travelling through the airport, I wrote to the Prime Minister, Federal Minister of Health, and Federal Minister of Transport urging them to immediately address this issue. In my letter, I called for the deployment of more rigorous, universal passenger screening protocols, in addition to accelerating the implementation of planned screening measures announced by the Minister of Transport.
I've spoken about this issue at length with Toronto's Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Eileen de Villa. There are still many COVID-19 cases linked to air travel, and strong screening measures are critically important as we face a resurgence of cases in Toronto.
To address this issue, McMaster HealthLabs, the Greater Toronto Airport Authority, and Air Canada have initiated a month-long study to explore the effectiveness of the two-week quarantine period for travellers. The study is seeking to determine the number and percentage of arriving international travellers who test positive for COVID-19 during the 14-day quarantine period. Passengers can now be voluntarily tested for COVID-19 upon arrival at Toronto Pearson International Airport, and you can learn more about this important initiative here.