International travellers require self-isolation plan when returning to B.C.: Premier
Posted April 8, 2020 1:29 pm.
Last Updated April 8, 2020 7:04 pm.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — Returning from abroad to British Columbia now comes with the expectation of a self-isolation plan.
Premier John Horgan says travellers coming back to the province by land or air will be required to explain to officials, in detail, what their plans are to self-isolate.
“Although we welcome home all those travellers, we also are asking them to join with all of us in the battle that we’ve been waging together over the past couple of weeks,” he says.
Details from the province about the requirement for a self-isolation plan for returning travelers.#bcpoli #covid19 @NEWS1130 pic.twitter.com/LVHIwS3KPB
— LizaYuzda (@LizaYuzda) April 8, 2020
He explained the isolation plan is mandatory for all returning travellers.
“I believe this is a reasonable expectation,” Horgan says, adding British Columbians have already been working hard to bend the curve.
“As grateful as [travellers] are to be back in British Columbia, they have to pick up the ball and carry it just as we all have.”
A self-isolation plan must be approved by the provincial government. If a person does not have a self-isolation plan, a quarantine site will be provided for 14 days. Anyone with symptoms will not leave the airport.
Forms will be given to travellers on the plane and are also available online.
Emergency Management BC will help travellers receive food deliveries, prescriptions, and other supplies so people can self-isolate safety.
Going forward, @jjhorgan says flights from other countries will go to @yvrairport not other airports in BC – like today one arrived in Victoria.#bcpoli #covid19 @NEWS1130
— LizaYuzda (@LizaYuzda) April 8, 2020
Starting Friday, the premier also says the Vancouver International Airport will be the only airport in B.C. accepting flights from other countries.
In a statement, YVR says it has been working with health officials and the provincial government to implement the new measures.
“The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is responsible for all decisions related to, and implementation of, health-related screening of passengers at Canada’s ports of entry, including airports,” reads the statement. “We have worked closely with PHAC since January to support them with implementing all new measures to address COVID-19, and we will continue to assist PHAC with any new measures as directed.”
.@yvrairport‘s response to @jjhorgan: They are “working with the Province to implement new measures” on Friday and while safety remains a priority at #YVR, the “Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is responsible for any safety orders re: #COVID19. #bcpoli #cdnpoli @NEWS1130
— Marcella Bernardo (@Bernardo1130) April 8, 2020
B.C. officials will also be staffed at half of the land crossings with border agents to help make the transition “as seamless as possible,” Horgan says.
Premier Horgan says if travelers are symptomatic, they will not be leaving the airport. Those who don’t have a quarantine plan will be sent to a quarantine site for up to 14 says, but he couldn’t get into specifics on number of sites or their locations. #COVID19 #bcpoli
— John Ackermann (@jackermann) April 8, 2020
Horgan says the federal government will be making a similar announcement next week.
“We need to make sure that all the work Canadians have been doing is not erased by a group of people who may come back and not have the same level of perseverance that British Columbians have had to this point of time.”
Isolation was already expected of returning travellers as part of the Quarantine Act, Horgan says.