Things may be opening back up slowly but surely, but you might not want to rush to the airport quite yet. We are only just over halfway into August, but Pearson Airport has already reported more than 50 Toronto flights with COVID-19 cases confirmed. This includes both domestic and international flights coming into or leaving YYZ. Since August 1, a little over two weeks ago, 29 domestic flights and 25 international with confirmed cases of the virus have begun or ended at Pearson. Editor's Choice: This Small Town In Ontario Is Like Strolling Through The Streets Of Europe (VIDEO) The Government of Canada website provides information on locations with potential COVID-19 exposure, including all flights that come into or leave through Canada. Even just taking Toronto into account, the list right now is comprehensive and pretty alarming, with a whole bunch of flights having confirmed cases. The site also lists, where known, which rows within the plane could have experienced exposure as a result of the confirmed case. If you’ve taken a flight in or out of Canada recently, it might be worth taking a look. The flights originate from a variety of locations, with some coming in from as far as the Middle East, Europe, and Africa. Next time you fly, come prepared for a new experience. All passengers flying from Pearson will now have their temperature taken pre-security. For information visit: https://t.co/08ZzkpgoJ9— Toronto Pearson (@TorontoPearson) August 17, 2020 The news comes after Pearson has implemented its new Healthy Airport program, ensuring travellers that it will keep them safe while at the airport. The program includes mandatory mask usage, restricting airport access to travellers and employees only, and implementing social distancing measures. Most recently, the airport introduced mandatory temperature checks. Despite the U.S.-Canada border closure, which was just extended for another month until at least September 21, four of the international flights coming into Toronto were from the States. The Canadian federal government will extend the Canada-U.S. land border closure for another 30 days until Sept. 21, Dr. Theresa Tam, the chief public health officer of Canada, says the government will continue to monitor epidemiological data on both sides of the border— TLC Info Network (@TLCInfoNetwork) August 15, 2020 The border closure has remained a hot topic for both Canadians and Americans and it remains unknown when it will reopen. However, Canada’s top doctor, Theresa Tam, suggested that it will still be a long time before we can expect a reopening. I can't even: how are we supposed to reduce & eliminate new cases when this is happening? How many students & educators could be exposed to travelling Covid cases before Sept? Another group of international flights land in Canada with COVID-19 patients https://t.co/k8ctWuav8y— Effie Vernuccio (@effievernuccio) August 17, 2020 The most common domestic route with exposure is currently between the major airports in Toronto and Vancouver. This makes sense, as they are the two largest urban areas in the country. Meanwhile, the most common international route with exposure is currently between Toronto and Germany, of which we saw five in August, all departing from Frankfurt. If you’ve travelled within Canada, or internationally, you may want to take a look at this list to ensure that you haven’t been exposed.
