Over 10 Montreal flights have been exposed to COVID-19 this month

The Government of Canada is warning passengers that various Montreal flights have had COVID-19 exposures on planes since the beginning of the month.

Eleven total flights going into and out of Montreal have had exposure to the virus since February 1. Seven flights have been international, with four being domestic.

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Most recently, a Sunwing flight (WG407) touched down in Montreal from Toronto last Friday.

Since the beginning of the month, outgoing and Montreal-bound domestic flights came from Toronto, Charlottetown, Vancouver, and Quebec City.

Internationally, flights going to and from Montreal came from Punta Cana, Port-Au-Prince, Istanbul, and Paris.

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

In January, 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 2021, 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.