Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced more efforts to bring stranded Canadians home Saturday
Speaking once again from Rideau Cottage in Ottawa, Trudeau said the government is working with other countries to ensure airlines have permissions and other supports necessary.
“The first flight is leaving Morocco this weekend and is being operated by Air Canada. We’re currently working with other airlines on similar arrangements. There will be more flights from other locations in the coming days. This potentially includes Peru and Spain.”
He added that everyone on these flights will be required to self isolate and that anyone with symptoms of COVID-19 will not be allowed to board. Also saying travelers will be responsible for paying their own tickets but the government will work with airlines on extra costs to provide responsible prices.
Trudeau says factors like the number of Canadians in a country, airspace closures and the local situation are taken into account on which countries see flights first. Adding that everyone on the flights will be required to self isolate and that anyone with symptoms of COVID-19 will not be allowed to board.
Trudeau is recommending Canadian’s avoid all travel, unless it is absolutely essential. Saying the government is asking people to stay home as much as possible.
“To avoid non-essential travel, that means not going to see your neighbors if you don’t have to, and that applies to the United States but it also applies to other provinces. We recognize that people have reasons, whether family reasons, or work reasons or other important reasons to travel and they can make those judgments, but as much as possible people should be staying home.”
Trudeau was asked again if the federal government was going to enact emergency measures to stem the COVID-19 pandemic, the prime minister again stated nothing is off the table.
“We’re looking at a broad array of measures that we can move forward with. At this time we do not see the Federal Emergency Act as an essential tool today, but we are continuing to look at the situation and continue to make decisions based on the best recommendations of science.” As part of the measures to stem the progress of the virus, the border with the U.S was closed to all but essential travel last Friday night.
The Prime Minister also says testing for COVID-19 is ramping up, saying tens of thousands more people are being tested every day. “We are getting more equipment for testing, we recognize that broad scale testing is an essential tool in continuing to fight the spread of this disease. Every single day we are doingfar more test than the day before and that will continue to ramp up.”
