CANADA'S COVID RESPONSE MARCH 2020

Photo credit theStar.com

Trudeau attacks border closing calls: 
"There is a lot of knee-jerk reaction that isn't keeping people safe"



The following points are taken from an excellent article in the Edmonton Journal which you can view in it's complete form HERE. 

Mar. 4 Trudeau's wife is in England for a major event.

Mar. 5 Trudeau strongly affirms Canada's open border policy during the pandemic. He insists that Canada is being kept safe. "There is a lot of misinformation out there, there is a lot of knee-jerk reaction that isn’t keeping people safe. That is having real, challenging impacts on communities, on community safety"

Mar. 6 Canadian government awards research contracts including $828,000 to University of Alberta and the Wuhan institute of virology (the same lab linked to the outbreak).

Mar. 9 Canada confirms it's first covid-19 death.

Mar. 9 An MP notes that many countries are talking about covid-19 as being a global pandemic.In Canada there are no restrictions on or monitoring of people entering the country. Asks if Canada intends to ban travelers from China, Iran or Italy. Minister Hajdu said they have been screening people 
we are asking people to identify themselves if they have traveled from certain regions.

Mar. 9 An MP said that travelers at Montreal-Trudeau International Airport coming from high risk areas were not being tested.

Mar. 11 WHO declares a pandemic. Dr. Tam still does not include border closers or strictures.

Mar. 11 An MP says that this government has not been handling this as if it were a pandemic, even though that is their claim. Minister Hajdu continues to endorse policy of open borders.

Mar. 12 Prime Minister's wife has contracted covid-19. She and the PM go into quarantine.

Mar. 12 Conservative leader says that while Canada says the risk is low, other countries are taking decisive action to contain the virus. When the final flight came out of Italy passengers were not screened. Temperatures were not taken and no one was quarantined. They were given a pamphlet and sent on their way.

Mar. 12 An MP noted that travelers from Italy were shocked to see that no one asked them any questions upon their arrival into Canada.

Mar. 13 Canada advises Canadians to avoid any non-essential travel outside of Canada. Asked if Canada was going to bring in border closures Minister Hajdu said that border closures were ineffective and caused harm.

Mar. 13 PM Trudeau says: we did not close our borders as did the US and we have been able to control the non spread of the virus.

Mar. 16 Canada does a complete about face and closes it's doors by severely restricting international flights. Canada advises all returning travellers to self isolate for 14 days and is turning around all international visitors.

Asked why Canada shouldn't close the border to the US if restricting travel is now deemed necessary. Trudeau explains that because of the integration of our two economies, the US is in a different category.

A reporter asks Trudeau about Minister Hadju's Mar.13 quote that border controls are not effective.

Dr. Tam commenting of self-isolation being mandatory? This is not essentially ordered as it would be impossible to keep tabs on every traveller. Asked why not close the border, Tam replied "Countries that have enacted travel bans have not be able to keep out this particular virus."

Mar. 18 Canada implements a ban on all foreign nationals except from the United States from entering Canada. The US border is closed to all but essential travel.

Mar. 19 Dr. Tam says that all persons arriving in Canada must self isolate for 14 days.

Mar. 19 Taiwan's lashes out at China and the WHO saying that early in the pandemic it was known that Chinese doctors treating patients were getting sick, an obvious sign of person to person transmission. Taiwan was stopped from sharing their findings at the International Health Regulation site which is run by the WHO.

Mar 20 Canada now reverses it stand on asylum seekers at the border and says they will be turned back to the US.

Mar. 24 Dr. Tam now says that travelleres returning to Canada MUST self isolate for 14 days even if they have no symptoms. As long as you have no symptoms it is OK to go outside for a walk but keep 2 metres away from anyone.

Mar. 25 Canada puts in place large fines for travellers who do not go into mandatory self isolation. This is now against WHO policy.

Mar. 25 Dr. Tam says that Canada is now implementing 14 day mandatory isolation under the Quarantine Act as part of an all out effort to slow the spread.

Mar. 25 An online petition calling for the replacement WHO's secretary general has 600,000 signatures.

Mar. 25 A reporter asks Trudeau why Canada is not screening for temperatures to detect travellers who are masking their symptoms. Trudeau says that we are telling people to self isolate.

Mar. 26 China brings in a travel ban.

Mar. 26 Canada now has 4043 Covid cases with 39 deaths. Taiwan expected to have the second biggest outbreak has 252 cases and 2 deaths.

Mar. 26 Trudeau warns people who do not self isolate when returning to Canada could face fines.

Mar. 28 China embassy tweets that they are giving medical supplies to Canada.

Mar. 28 A WHO advisor Bruce Alyward, a Canadian, refuses to answer questions as to whether Taiwan should be a part of the WHO, and to discuss Taiwan's success. His lack of response goes viral.

Mar. 29 Dr. Tam advises all Canadians returning to Canada that they MUST go into immediate 14 day isolation. They must go straight home and arrange for groceries etc. by phone.

Mar. 30 Dr.Tam now says that using a mask may be beneficial if you are sick to prevent you from spreading droplets, but says it is of no benefit if you are healthy in prevention. (this is a stance that from the beginning raised some eyebrows).

Mar. 30 An MP questions the logic in not asking people to wear masks to slow the spread. Another MP notes that Austria is now making masks mandatory.

Mar. 30 A reporter asks Trudeau if he regrets not acting sooner on travel bans given that two weeks ago Covid cases were travellers coming into Canada, and now 63% of the cases are community spread. Trudeau responded that there would be lots of analysis after the fact. (Go to the full report to read his full reply).

Mar. 30 Alberta Premier says that China lied to the world.













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