Ford interested in COVID-19 testing at Pearson airport
Posted October 27, 2020 5:17 pm.
Last Updated October 27, 2020 9:01 pm.
It appears one of Alberta’s pilot programs designed to help contain COVID-19 has caught Premier Doug Ford’s eye.
Speaking on Tuesday, Ford said that he’s actively searching for new, innovative ways to curb and treat COVID-19 across Ontario, pointing to what Calgary is set to introduce at their major airports.
“I always like looking around the world and taking the best ideas from everywhere,” Ford said.
“What I do like out in Alberta, is Calgary Airport. I am a strong believer, and I have been saying it right from the get go, if people want to reduce the wait they have to isolate for 14 days, let’s see what happens in Calgary and Alberta when they get tested. If it [airport testing] works, let’s adopt it here in Toronto,” the premier added.
Premier Jason Kenney announced the pilot program last week for Alberta, as travellers entering Canada by land or air will have the option of being tested for COVID-19 at the border.
The new tests will allow for that to be shortened to about two days if travellers test negative for COVID-19 and commit to another test in six or seven days after arrival.
“We simply must move forward to develop policies to facilitate safe travel,” Kenney said of the pilot last Thursday.
Participants are to be closely monitored through daily symptom checks and will be required to follow health measures, such as wearing masks in public and avoiding visits to high-risk groups.
The new COVID-19 option will be offered at the Coutts land border crossing in southern Alberta and the Calgary International Airport.
A mandatory, 14-day quarantine period for returning international travellers will remain.
The airport testing pilot is slated to kick off in Calgary on Nov. 2.
With files from the Canadian Press
