Restarting International Travel Too Soon Could Lead To Lockdown Again Says PM
International travel into Canada could still be a long way off. During his daily address on June 22, Trudeau spoke about reopening Canada’s international borders. The prime minister explained that restarting tourism too soon could lead to a COVID-19 “resurgence,” and his main priority is to keep Canadians safe.
On June 22, the prime minister delivered his daily COVID-19 address, speaking from Rideau Cottage.
During the conference, Trudeau was asked about reopening international borders so that the Canadian tourism sector could restart.
While he acknowledged the difficulties faced by the industry, Trudeau explained that the government was in no rush to reopen Canada's borders.
“I think there’s a lot of tourists, tour operators, a lot of regions in the country, companies like airlines, that would very much like to see a return to international travel so we can get people coming in here and supporting our local communities and seeing business travel pick up again,” he said.
“But every step of the way, as we look at those next steps, we need to make sure we’re keeping Canadians safe first and foremost.”
Trudeau said he understands how frustrating it is for those relying on the tourism industry, but added “we know that reopening too quickly or carelessly would lead us to a resurgence that might well force us to go back into lockdown.”
Trudeau noted that this could “shut down the economy once again, and nobody wants that.”
He followed up by explaining that the federal government had implemented “significant support” for industries and businesses, to help them get through the coming months.
The PM concluded by confirming that his government would be “very, very careful about when and how we start reopening international borders.”
His comments come after hundreds of Canadian businesses signed an open letter to the government, urging them to restart the tourism sector ASAP.
The notice, which was signed by airlines like Air Canada, WestJet and Air Transat, told the prime minister that Canada’s international travel advisory is “out-of-step” with other countries.
“We need the summer,” reads the letter.
While travel outside of Canada is still not recommended by the government, many leading airlines have already released their summer flight schedules.
Canadians can fly to international destinations like Japan, Greece, Italy and the United Kingdom.
For now though, it seems Canada’s own borders will remain firmly shut to tourists.