Temperature screening to be required at Canadian airports

OTTAWA — The Government of Canada now requires temperature screenings for all passengers arriving at  or departing from Canadian airports for either international or domestic destinations.

“We have already introduced measures to reduce the risk of the spread of COVID-19, including mandating face coverings, and publishing health guidance for the air industry,” said Marc Garneau, minister of transport in a prepared statement. “Mandatory temperature screenings are yet another measure in our multi-layered approach to help protect the safety of the travelling public and air industry workers.”

For international flights to Canada, air operators must conduct temperature screenings at the point of departure, unless the local authority has an equivalent measure in place, in addition to the existing required health check questions for symptoms prior to boarding.

Within Canada, Canadian Air Transport Security Authority screeners will conduct the temperature screening of passengers as part of departure procedures. This is in addition to the screening questions and face coverings already required for all passengers.

The Government of Canada is taking a phased approach to temperature screening:

• Phase 1: By June 30,  all air operators will be required to conduct temperature screenings of all passengers travelling to Canada prior to departure from international or transborder points of departure.
• Phase 2: By the end of July, temperature screening stations will be placed in the departure section of the four major airports currently identified for international travel (Montréal, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver).
• Phase 3: By September, temperature screening stations will be in place in the departure sections of the next 11 busiest airports in Canada (St. John’s, Halifax, Québec City, Ottawa, Toronto – Billy Bishop, Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Kelowna, Victoria).

All employees and personnel that enter or work in restricted areas of the airport will be subject to temperature screening procedures by Canadian Air Transport Security Authority personnel.

Anyone with an elevated temperature no medical certificate to explain a  condition that would result in an elevated temperature, will not be permitted to travel and will be asked to re-book after 14 days.