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Ontario airport COVID-19 testing program arrives

The borders are a federal responsibility but the province is willing to do its part to control the unwitting importation of COVID-19, Premier Doug Ford said.

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The Ontario government will offer voluntary COVID-19 testing for eligible international arrivals at Pearson Airport, Premier Doug Ford says.

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The testing, free to travellers who plan to stay in Ontario for at least 14 days, does not cancel the obligation to self quarantine for two weeks.

The pilot program begins Wednesday — the last day of a federal ban on flights from the United Kingdom, which will be replaced with a requirement to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test.

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The borders are a federal responsibility but the province is willing to do its part to control the unwitting importation of COVID-19, Ford said.

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“Since September, over 1,300 flights in Canada have had potential COVID-19 exposure,” the Premier said Wednesday. “In fact, over 31 international flights with COVID-19 have landed in Toronto in the past two weeks alone since I last called for tighter restrictions at our borders.”

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Pearson Airport welcomes more than 60,000 international travellers each week, he said.

Public health officials are particularly concerned about a U.K. variant of COVID-19 that spreads easily and is already responsible for at least six travel-related cases in Ontario.

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Rocco Rossi, president and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC), urged provincial governments across the country to implement similar testing programs.

“We recognize that COVID-19 testing will be a necessary part of air travel for the foreseeable future,” Rossi said in a statement. “The resumption of safe air travel is vital to Canada’s economic recovery and long-term competitiveness.”

In-bound travellers can pre-register for testing or present themselves on arrival at Pearson, and will be supervised by a health professional either in person or on video as they self-administer the test.

“Test results will be reported into Ontario’s Lab Information System within 48 hours and local public health units will follow up on all positive tests,” a government statement says. “All international travellers will continue to be required to follow the federal requirement for a mandatory 14-day quarantine after arriving or returning to Canada, regardless if they have a negative or positive test.”

aartuso@postmedia.com

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