MEdia

Ontario Premier asks Prime Minister for tougher border measures

Expert on global public health weighs in COVID-19 border measures debate

Kelley Lee, a Canada Research Chair in global health governance at Simon Fraser University, discusses the political debate over COVID-19 and travel restrictions. That debate has escalated in Canada in recent days as Ontario Premier Doug Ford has taken the federal government to task over what Ford says is a lack of adequate controls for incoming travellers. Lee says the current international and interprovincial travel restrictions in Canada are still not sufficient to prevent the spread of the virus.

Expert panel says WHO rules are biased toward keeping borders open and travel flowing, even in a pandemic

Canada must create a comprehensive quarantine, screening system for international travellers: experts

Domestic flights: when provinces infect each other

In April, more than 3,000 planes took off each week from one Canadian city to land in another without their passengers being tested. And with the exception of the territories, the eastern provinces and Manitoba, no quarantine was required, either. A temperature measurement is mandatory at major airports, although this measure is ineffective in detecting COVID-19, according to Health Canada.

Maybe border restrictions could be tighter — but Ford is in no position to cast stones