Ottawa’s decision to suspend random testing for COVID-19 at customs marks a ‘major step’ toward restoring normal traffic through airport terminals, but further steps are needed to fully the air is clean. runway, the president of the Canadian Airports Council argued on Monday.
Monette Pasher pointed out that wait times and delays in arriving on the tarmac at major airports improved immediately after the measure was implemented on Saturday.
We were very encouraged by the news. This is a big step forward in resolving the lingering issueshe said Monday in an interview.
” But much still needs to be done, because there are still delays, but in a shorter time. In our business, we don’t want to see people waiting on the tarmac. “
Ottawa announced Friday that the federal government will suspend screening tests for randomly selected incoming international passengers, and the mandatory fast screening imposed on unvaccinated arrivals will take place at sites outside the airports starting July 1.
The Canadian Airports Council (CAC) and other industry groups are now calling for an end to mandatory vaccinations for travelers and aviation workers, saying hundreds of workers could be employed to further support travelers.
The government continues to require a 14 -day quarantine for unvaccinated Canadian passengers and bar entry to unvaccinated foreigners.
After removing security personnel during the pandemic, the nation’s airport security agency has hired 865 screening officers since April, Ottawa said, with more hires to come as the four largest Canada’s country’s airports are forecasting a 50% increase in the number of travelers over the weeks.
As of June 1, these hubs handled an average of 56,000 incoming passengers from overseas per day – more than half of them at Toronto’s Pearson Airport, where scenes of endless queues and traveler frustration will spread in social media posts and news for most of the spring. The number of travelers is expected to reach 80,000 in a few weeks, according to CAC forecasts.
” People can expect longer wait times in the summer, but we shouldn’t see anything like we saw last month. I think we are overcoming this obstacle. “
The Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable welcomed Ottawa’s latest rollback, but wasn’t too optimistic about its impact.
Domestically, Canada’s travel rules are detrimental to small businesses, unfairly affecting families looking to take advantage of the summer travel season, and forcing the cancellation of conferences and events that contributes to the functioning of local economies.argued at the Roundtable, made up of industry groups, in a statement released Friday.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Friday that the U.S. government will lower the COVID-19 test as a condition of entry into the country-a measure that Canada has already scrapped.
Source: Radio-Canada
