Ontario no longer providing Canada with COVID-19 flight exposure notifications
Ontario is no longer providing the federal government with COVID-19 flight exposure data, citing an increase in public health measures and vaccinations.
According to Public Health Ontario (PHO), they stopped processing flight notifications from local public health units to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) on Sept. 10.
In a statement, the agency said the decision was made as a result of various public health measures implemented for international travellers, including the need to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test prior to boarding and an increase in vaccinations.
“To provide some background and context, flight notifications were used earlier in the pandemic in order to allow the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) to inform the public via its website when a COVID-19 positive passenger who was actively infectious was on a flight,” a spokesperson said. “As the science about COVID-19 and our knowledge of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has evolved, so too must our response to better target where public health work and actions will produce the most benefit and that will have the most impact in support of the pandemic response.”
“According to PHAC, available evidence suggests that the likelihood of passenger-to-passenger transmission aboard aircraft appears to be very low. Public health measures such as masking except when eating or drinking, regular hand washing or sanitizing while on a flight, and COVID-19 vaccination continue to be actions that help to protect oneself and others from getting sick.”
PHAC has been regularly updating its website with COVID-19 data for more than a year, revealing hundreds of flights every month that were exposed to a positive case.
The data, which is updated daily but only shows results from the last 14 days, tells travellers what airline, flight number and seating rows could have been affected. Passengers in those rows are asked to self-monitor for symptoms, self-isolate if necessary and contact their local public health unit for guidance.
The website, however, now also includes a disclaimer saying “the information listed may not be complete as not all provinces and territories report all of their transportation exposures.”
The site also notes that PHAC receives “limited notifications” from Ontario and Quebec, and that Alberta Health Services only collects travel or flight information on cases with severe outcomes such as hospitalization or death.
As of Oct. 21, the data shows there are 51 international flights and 84 domestic flights that were exposed to COVID-19 over the last 14 days.
The data also shows that 21 domestic and eight international exposed flights left or landed at Toronto Pearson International Airport.
A spokesperson for the Greater Toronto Airport Authority has said that nothing has changed for them in terms of how they receive information regarding potential COVID-19 exposures.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.