Federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu answers media questions, March 22, 2020. Photo: CPAC
The Trudeau government is going to force all travellers from outside the country, other than essential workers, to isolate themselves.
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland confirms the information.
“The health minister will be using powers under that she has under the Quarantine Act beginning at midnight tonight to impose a mandatory 14 period of isolation on all people coming into Canada from outside Canada,” says Freeland.
Hajdu told the Senate today that “too many people especially if they are coming from countries that have minimized the issue of this virus and we know many people are coming from winter homes that may have heard different kinds of news about the severity of this illness and that’s causing them to not take it seriously.”
“As of tonight, it will be mandatory for travellers returning home to isolate for 14 days under the Quarantine Act, also not to isolate in the same home where there is a vulnerable individual and not to take public transit to get to that place,” Hajdu added.
The Health Minister went on to say “the Public Health Agency of Canada will be supporting people that are under the circumstance of not having a place to stay and or not having transportation that’s private. We need Canadians to take this seriously who are returning to this country, even if they are asymptomatic when they get off the plane.”
There is no immediate word on how the government will be enforcing the measure.
