After Politicians Finish Their Vacations Trudeau Restricts Travel

Rather conveniently after seemingly every other politician returns from their beach vacation and snowbird getaways Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has finally moved to toughen up the restrictions on the border and air travel.

Today Trudeau announced that the major Canadian airlines (ie. Westjet, Air Canada, Sunwing Air Transat) have agreed to stop flights to Mexico and the Caribbean starting Sunday, restrictions that will not be reconsidered until April 30. 

This action will force Canadian citizens currently in those locations to have to cut trips short and come home right away.

Outside of Rideau Cottage Trudeau said that “With the challenges we currently face with COVID-19, both here at home and abroad, we all agree that now is just not the time to be flying,” which seems oddly untimely seeing as COVID-19 infections and deaths were much higher before when politicians were flying than now when has generally eased back.

Not only are flights being stopped from going to specific destinations but all travelers will also be required to stay in government-approved hotels while they take mandatory PCR tests for COVID-19 and then go into a 14-day quarantine at home, and also received a swab on day 10. 

Trudeau explained that the reason for the harsh measures stating that:

We know that just one case of the variant that comes in could cause significant challenges and that’s why we need to take extra measures…Extremely low is still not zero and one case is too many if we’re importing, particularly given the variants out there.

Ed Sims, president and CEO of Westjet in a statement seems to be subtly pointing out his disagreement with the Liberal government’s strict measures and restrictions placed on airlines.

Sims said:

The government asked, and we agreed. While we know that air travel is responsible for less than two percent of cases since the start of the crisis, and even less today, we recognize the Government of Canada’s ask is a precautionary measure.

Sims never voices agreement with the reasons why the Liberals are disrupting his industry, outside of mere acknowledgment of their demands and motives.

What may backfire on Trudeau and the Liberals is, in spite of trying to put forward new lockdown measures and create a perception of taking health and safety seriously, the way in which the government chose to place these heavier restrictions only after many politicians and government staffers went on their vacations over the holidays in pricy international destinations, like St. Barts in case of Ontario MPP Rod Phillips.

So not only were regular Canadians dissuaded from traveling when politicians felt it was perfectly safe for themselves, but now if anyone wanted to follow the lead of the politicians and go on vacation while COVID-19 infection rates are significantly down, then they are pretty much out of luck. 

Unless you are actually willing to jump through various hoops by getting tested before you travel to a curated set of destinations and will put up with staying in a quarantined hotel upon return before quarantining at home, then in essence all international is out of the question.

In reality, the measures Trudeau has put in place could have been done at any point of the pandemic, and preferably should have been done at the start when the Canadian government was still allowing planes full of travelers from Wuhan to enter into the country without even as much as a single COVID-19 test. 

Only after parliament is back in session and the political elite no longer have been to go sunbathing on the beach do travel restrictions and border closures tighten up.