The British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) has added 14 more B.C. flights to its list of public COVID-19 exposures.
The public health agency on Saturday morning, Dec. 19 warned passengers who travelled aboard the following flights that they may have been exposed to the coronavirus earlier this month:
- Dec. 4: Air Canada 25, Vancouver to Shanghai (Affected rows 20-16)
- Dec. 5: WestJet 122, Vancouver to Calgary (Affected rows 2-8)
- Dec. 9: Air Canada/Jazz 8243, Terrace to Vancouver (Affected rows
- Dec. 11: Air India 185, Delhi to Vancouver (Affected rows 40-26)
- Dec. 11: WestJet 3342, Calgary to Kelowna (Affected rows 15-19)
- Dec. 12: Air Canada 201, Calgary to Vancouver (Affected rows 4 and 12-15)
- Dec. 12: Air Canada 8253, Vancouver to Nanaimo (Affected rows 2-8)
- Dec. 12: Flair 8418, Toronto to Vancouver (Affected rows 23-29)
- Dec. 12: Air Canada/Lufthansa 9101/492, Frankfurt to Vancouver (Affected rows 24-28)
- Dec. 13: WestJet 711, Toronto to Vancouver (Affected rows 7-13)
- Dec. 14: Air Canada/United Airlines 555/8417, Los Angeles to Vancouver (Affected rows 12-14)
- Dec. 14: Air Canada/United Airlines 8075/8435, Vancouver to Victoria (Affected rows 17-20)
- Dec. 16: Air Canada 242, Vancouver to Edmonton (Affected rows 24-30)
- Dec. 16: Air Canada/Jazz 8208, Prince George to Vancouver (Affected rows 14-20)
Later Saturday afternoon, at around 4:30 p.m., The BCCDC added five more recent flights to the list. Those include:
- Dec. 10: United Airlines 4769 San Francisco to Vancouver (Affected rows 12-18)
- Dec. 12: WestJet 126, Vancouver to Calgary (Affected rows not reported)
- Dec. 13: Air Canada 103, Toronto to Vancouver (Affected rows 50-55)
- Dec. 13: Air Canada/Jazz 8261, Vancouver to Nanaimo (Affected rows 8-14)
- Dec. 16: Alaska Airlines 2154, Seattle to Vancouver (Affected rows not reported)
Saturday's updates comes following numerous B.C. flights that have been flagged for carrying one or more individuals who tested positive for the virus since travelling, including five recent flights Vancouver is Awesome reported earlier this week.
With the number of new COVID-19 cases remaining in the hundreds each day, B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry implemented new orders last month instructing British Columbians to avoid any non-essential travel outside their home communities. Those orders have been extended until at least Jan. 8.
Your domestic flight has been identified for having COVID-19 on board. What next?
The BCCDC is encouraging travellers who recently arrived in B.C. to check the public health agency's website for updates about flights identified for potential exposures. Passengers who flew aboard a domestic flight flagged for carrying a COVID-19 case are encouraged to self-monitor for symptoms for 14 days following their flight.
While self-monitoring for symptoms of the virus— which may include fever, cough, chills, sore throat, loss of sense of smell or taste and many more—individuals should take and record their temperature daily, and avoid taking fever-reducing medications like acetaminophen or ibuprofen, if possible, for the full 14 days. The average normal body temperature taken orally is about 37°C, according to the BCCDC.
More information about self-monitoring and self-isolation is available on BCCDC's website
Pre and Post-Travel Considerations
The Government of Canada has issued a global travel advisory strongly encouraging Canadians to avoid all travel outside of the country until further notice due to the coronavirus pandemic. "This advisory overrides other risk levels on this page, with the exception of any risk levels for countries or regions where we advise to avoid all travel," it reads.
If you do have to travel for an essential purpose, there are several things to keep in mind before you fly.
First, any passengers who have travelled outside of Canada are required to self-isolate and self-monitor for symptoms for 14 days upon their arrival. As of Nov. 21, air travellers whose final destination is Canada are also required to submit their information electronically through ArriveCAN before boarding their flight. This includes travel and contact information, a quarantine plan (unless exempted under conditions set out in the Mandatory Isolation Order), and a COVID-19 symptom self-assessment.
Travellers must be ready to show their ArriveCAN receipt when seeking entry into Canada; a border services officer will verify that they have submitted their information digitally.
Travellers who do not submit the required information digitally before boarding their flight could be subject to enforcement action, which can range from verbal warnings to a $1,000 fine. However, exceptions will be made for those unable to submit documents electronically "due to personal circumstances, such as a disability or inadequate infrastructure."
Any returning travellers who develop symptoms following their arrival in Canada should get tested for COVID-19. Individuals who test positive are required to self-isolate for a minimum of 14 days from their arrival date, or 10 days after onset of symptoms, whichever is longer.
Find out more information here.
- With files from Elana Shepert
