A top Canadian doctor says Canada doesn’t need to require PCR tests for incoming travellers. “What’s really clear is that COVID is everywhere and that it’s not travel that’s the major source of spread,” said Dr. David Carr, an emergency medicine professor in the Division of Emergency Medicine at the University of Toronto, told the CBC. “Making people repeat their PCR [test] upon arrival is deflecting resources away from where they could be better spent,” he said. “As we watch the loosening of other requirements, such as isolation periods, it would seem that loosening of requirements around travel should follow Read more
travel news
Cruise lines will no longer have to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention health rules to guard against COVID-19. The CDC’s Framework for Conditional Sailing Order, which was extended and modified in October, will expire Saturday, at which point the health agency’s COVID guidance for cruise ships will become voluntary, the CDC confirmed to USA TODAY on Wednesday. “This means cruise lines can choose whether to follow the health agency’s guidance or not,” USA Today said. CDC spokesperson David Daigle said the Atlanta-based health agency “is transitioning to a voluntary COVID-19 risk mitigation program.” The CDC in 2020 brought Read more
The union representing 14,000 flight attendants across Canada says the federal government needs to listen and act decisively to make cabin environments safe for workers and the flying public amid the current surge of the omicron variant. To that effect, Wesley Lesosky, President of the Air Canada Component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and CUPE’s Airline Division, has written to federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, demanding the government get serious about the health and safety concerns of airline workers. “The Cancun party flight is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what our members experience Read more
Today’s travel news roundup includes Scenic Cruises, Air Tahiti Nui, a new flying option in Southern Ontario, and a new Norwegian Cruise ship. FLY GTA RETURNS TO KINGSTON ONTARIO The Gananoque Reporter says Toronto based Fly GTA airline will resume service to Kingston, Ontario at the end of this month. The first flight between Kingston and Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is scheduled for Jan. 31. “We are thrilled to be landing at Kingston Airport once again and look forward to expanding our service in the coming months,” FlyGTA Group chief executive officer Chris Nowrouzi said in a news release Read more
I know. I know. It’s early. We’re still seeing hospitalizations at record levels in parts of Canada and the U.S. But some health experts are beginning to see the light at the end of the Omicron tunnel, and a number of travel industry types say they expect big things in the next couple months. According to a report on CTV News, Canadian government forecasts show falling COVID-19 infection numbers coming soon for Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg and Halifax here in Canada. The Toronto Star today carried an Associated Press report that suggested the UK and the US could soon see declines, Read more
