Eight Montreal flights exposed to COVID-19 over past week

Health Canada is warning passengers that various Montreal flights have had COVID-19 exposures on planes over the past week.

Since last week, eight total flights going into and out of Montreal have had exposure to the virus. Six flights were international, while two were domestic.

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Most recently, a Royal Air Maroc flight (AT208) touched down in Montreal from Casablanca on Saturday, January 30.

Over the past week, Montreal-bound international flights came from Newark, Paris, Cancun, Holguin, Mexico City, and Casablanca.

Domestically, flights going to and from Montreal came from Charlottetown and Toronto over the past seven days.

The government website doesn’t list the number of passengers per flight, only which rows have been affected.

Last week, the Canadian government announced new measures for travellers. All air travellers are mandated to reserve a room in a government-approved hotel for three nights at their own expense after touching down in the country. People returning from flights are also required to take a COVID-19 molecular test upon arrival, also at their own cost.

To ensure travellers’ compliance with the new quarantine requirements, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is working with security companies to help “complete compliance checks for travellers arriving in Canada.” Employees are being trained by the PHAC as “screening officers” who will visit quarantine locations to ensure guidelines are being followed.

The officers will confirm the traveller’s identity and ensure all travellers are in their required place of quarantine upon entry into Canada.

At the beginning of January, new travel rules require air travellers bound for Canada to present a pre-departure negative COVID-19 test in order to fly.

All flyers above the age of five are required to take a coronavirus molecular polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test within 72 hours before their flight’s scheduled departure. Test results must come back negative with written or electronic proof, and documentation must be presented to airlines before boarding.

If a negative PCR test is not provided, travellers will be denied entry to flights within Canada, unless otherwise exempt.

A number of Canadian politicians revealed they had travelled internationally over the holidays, even as COVID-19 cases soared across the country.