Canadians and Experts Agree: Immediate Action Needed to Block COVID Mutant Variants
100 experts urge immediate Federal government action to protect Canadians from importations of dangerous COVID variants. Canadians overwhelmingly support key recommendations, including 76% in favour of restricting international travel and over 90% in favour of enhanced testing for those returning.
MONTREAL, Jan. 21, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - Highly-infectious mutant variants of the SARs-CoV-2 virus (known as Variants of Concern) are circulating internationally. "Variants of concern represent a clear and present danger to Canada's health security and economic well-being" says a new report, entitled Shielding Canadians from Variants of Concern, and signed by over 100 epidemiologists, virologists, doctors, scientists and health care professionals.
"Existing travel and border protocols have not prevented the importation of COVID mutations into Canada. Delays in significantly reducing this risk could be ruinous."
Several jurisdictions (like Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea) are successfully blocking COVID Variants at the border. Drawing from international successes, Canadian health experts recommend the following immediate actions:
- Restrict international travel to essential travel only.
- Test all travellers immediately on arrival, after 5 days, and a third time at 10 days.
- Enhance quarantine measures and strongly consider mandatory quarantine in designated hotels for all incoming travellers.
- Vaccinate, as a joint US-Canadian responsibility, the 200-300 thousand truckers and 25-50 thousand essential workers that make up the majority of US-Canada land-border crossings.
"Shielding Canadians from Variants of Concern" report is produced by the COVID Strategic Choices Group, whose influential recent report Building a Canadian Shield laid-out key domestic actions to protect Canadians from COVID.
"The Canadian Shield starts at the border" said COVID Strategic Choices Group cofounder Robert Greenhill. "If porous border controls allow dangerous COVID mutations to enter Canada, it could undo all the hard work and sacrifices of millions of Canadians. It could be like a whole new pandemic."
Canadians overwhelmingly support the needed actions. A survey conducted by Leger for the Association for Canadian Studies and COVID Strategic Choices Group points to a broad consensus across regional, demographic and party lines calling for government to halt all non-essential travel and implement stricter testing for those returning to the country.
76% of Canadians support stopping direct travel to Canada unless it is for humanitarian reasons. 93% support administering a COVID test immediately upon arrival and 91% support administering a 2nd test 5 days later.
"There is a strong consensus amongst Canadians against travel outside of Canada and on strict testing for those returning." Said Jack Jedwab, President of the Association of Canadian Studies. To see the full report, please visit: Association of Canadian Studies Report
To learn more about the #CanadianShield strategy, background research and bios on the various experts behind this initiative, please visit: covidstrategicchoices.ca.
For further info about the set of recommendations put forward by Canadian health experts and public sentiment towards these recommendations, please visit: Recommendations by Canadian health experts
SOURCE Global Canada Initiative
Available for comment: Robert Greenhill, Professor of Practice at McGill University; Jack Jedwab, President of the Association of Canadian Studies; as well as other experts
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