People with COVID-19 symptoms can’t board flights, trains: Trudeau

Ottawa, March 29 (IANS) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that anyone showing any symptoms of the novel coronavirus won’t be allowed to board domestic flights and trains from Monday.

“As of Monday at noon, people showing any signs whatsoever of COVID-19 will be denied boarding at all domestic flights and intercity passenger trains,” Trudeau said at his daily press conference on Saturday.

“It will be important for operators of airlines and trains to ensure that people who are exhibiting symptoms do not board those trains.

“It will be a Transport Canada rule that will be enforced,” Xinhua news agency quoted Trudeau as saying.

He said his government will provide airlines and rail companies with “further tools” to bar those showing symptoms from getting on planes and trains, but did not explain what those enhanced screening measures would look like.

The ban, Trudeau said, does not apply to interprovincial bus travel, which does not fall under the jurisdiction of the federal government.

“Some industries are not under federal jurisdiction but we do recommend and in fact we are putting rules in place to make sure people do not take any trips anywhere if they have COVID-19 symptoms,” Trudeau said.

The Prime Minister said that his government was not currently looking at closing the borders between the provinces and territories in the country.

“We will make those decisions as they’re needed.”

The government has already banned overseas Canadians and permanent residents who are exhibiting symptoms from boarding flights back home, but has been criticized for a lack of enforcement.

As of Friday, there were 4,757 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 55 deaths in Canada.

–IANS

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