Non-resident foreign travellers are prohibited from entering the country. Canada from Wednesday 18 March. The country's airlines have been instructed not to accept on board their aircraft anyone showing symptoms similar to those of coronavirus. The Minister urged his fellow citizens to return to Canada and to stop travelling abroad.
Only four airports For the time being, Canadian flights will be open to international routes - Calgary, Montreal Trudeau, Toronto Pearson and Vancouver. Excluded from this restriction are domestic routes as well as flights to the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean and the French department of St Pierre et Miquelon. Cargo will continue to be transported so as not to interrupt international trade flows. The four airports will have more health officers and measuring instruments to check passengers for any symptoms.
The United States will be subject to special regulations due to the deep integration of the economies of the two countries. This will be done in cooperation with the authorities on the other side of the border. " The border situation will evolve in line with health needs. We are not closing the door on any measures to keep Canadians safe. "said the Prime Minister at a press conference.
Air Canada cuts routes in French-speaking Europe
Air Canada at the end of last week already announced a significant number of changes in response to the coronavirus crisis. These changes include a series of cancellations of seasonal routes, but the measures now taken by Canada to limit the entry of foreign visitors should rapidly result in further cancellations. At the end of last week, the airline announced that it was cancelling the Montreal-Bordeaux, Montreal-Marseille and Toronto-Brussels routes, whose inaugural flight was due to start on May 1 but whose opening has been postponed until June 3. It should also be noted that one of the few international routes serving the Canadian capital, the London Heathrow-Ottawa flight, has been cancelled until the end of April.
Elimination of VIA Rail's transcontinental lines
Rail operator VIA Rail has also reduced its services due to the drop in passenger numbers following the spread of the coronavirus. The rail lines withdrawn until 27 March are Montreal-Halifax and Toronto-Vancouver. This represents 22 trains a day. The carrier has also just announced a reduction of 50% in its frequencies on the Quebec City-Windsor route, the Canadian city opposite Detroit in the United States.
