The Canadian airlines have canceled all flights to the Caribbean and Mexico. The Federal Government recently introduced new rules, including mandatory quarantine while discouraging international travels. This morning, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Air Canada, Westjet, and Air Transat would suspend their services to a few destinations this Sunday until April 30th and arrange flights for those at these destinations to get back home.
These measures apply to Aruba as well, which receives flights weekly out of Canada. Westjet announced a few weeks ago that Sunday would be their last flight. There is no commencement date yet. Sunwing canceled its flights since the beginning of the pandemic and never resumed its flights. As of this Sunday, Air Canada will also cancel all flights to Aruba until June.
“With the challenges we are facing at the moment with Covid-19, both here at home as internationally, we agree that now is not the time to be traveling,” said Trudeau outside his house in Rideau Cottage.
Next week, all international passenger flights, including from the U.S., will land at the Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary, and Montreal airports. The prime minister said the government would soon be introducing mandatory PCR testing at the airport for people returning to Canada, on top of the pre-boarding test already required.
Travelers will then have to wait up to three days at an approved hotel for their test results, at their own expense, which Trudeau said is expected to be more than $2,000. Those with a negative test will be able to finish their 14-day quarantine at home, with increased surveillance.
Similar Measures
Today’s measure follows weeks of mounting political pressure on the federal government to tighten up border travel. Canada’s move is not without precedent. Australia has required most travelers to quarantine at a government-arranged hotel for 14 days for $2,800 AUD per adult and $4,620 AUD for a family of four. The U.K. introduced similar measures on Thursday and now requires citizens arriving from dozens of high-risk countries to quarantine in hotels for 10 days at their own expense.
Canada has had a ban on non-essential travel into the country by anyone who isn’t a citizen or permanent resident since March, but banning the flow of Canadians in and out of the country is a more difficult task. People who return from abroad for non-essential reasons must quarantine for two weeks or risk financial penalties or jail time — a measure that’s also been in place since March. As of the beginning of this month, most travelers must also show proof of a negative COVID-19 test before arriving in Canada.
