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BCCDC identifies more potential COVID-19 exposures aboard Vancouver flights

The exposures come despite restrictions on travel from Mexico and the Caribbean which went into effect last month
Cameron Thomson
Cameron Thomson
plane
Four more flights have been identified for coronavirus exposures by the BC Centre for Disease Control.

While travel restrictions have been implemented to stop travel to the Caribbean and Mexico, the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) has reported coronavirus (COVID-19) exposures on four more flights to Vancouver including one coming from Mexico City.

The BCCDC posted the following flights with potential exposures Wednesday afternoon:

  • Feb 5: Aeromexico 696, Mexico City to Vancouver (Rows affected not reported)
  • Feb 6: WestJet 195, Calgary to Victoria (Rows affected 6-12)
  • Feb 7: Aeromexico 696, Monterrey to Vancouver (Rows affected not reported)
  • Feb 7: Air Canada 45, Delhi to Vancouver (Rows affected 12-14)
  • Feb 7: Air Canada 234, Vancouver to Edmonton (Rows affected 12-15)

On Monday, Jan. 30, Vancouver Is Awesome reported on 12 new B.C. flights that were added to the list of potential COVID-19 public exposures.

Any travellers returning to B.C. are encouraged to check the BCCDC’s website for updates about flights identified for the risk of exposure. Those travelling from outside of Canada, meanwhile, must arrive prepared with a 14-day self-isolation plan.

New travel restrictions

In a bid to thwart variants of COVID-19 from entering the country, Canada suspended all flights to Mexico and the Caribbean.

These new restrictions went into effect Sunday, Jan. 31. Along with the restrictions, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also revealed that all international travellers will only be able to land at airports in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal starting in February.

Travellers who arrive in those cities will be required to take a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test at the airport to determine if they have COVID-19. Those travellers will then be required to wait at an approved hotel for up to three days at their own expense as they await test results.

Trudeau estimated the cost of the hotel stays would run about $2,000. Those who test negative will be able to quarantine at home, while those international travellers who test positive will be sent to a designated government facility to quarantine. 

The new measures come after the prime minister repeatedly urged Canadians throughout January not to depart the country on non-essential travel in the event new restrictions are imposed.

- With files from Tyler Orton / BIV