The BC Centre for Disease Control is warning passengers who flew on three more flights that they may have been exposed to COVID-19 while flying to or from Vancouver recently.
The public health agency on Saturday added the following three more flights to its public exposures list, after the aircrafts were found to have carried one or more individuals infected with the virus.
• Sept. 3: Flair, Flight 8513, Toronto to Vancouver (Affected rows 14-20)
• Sept. 5: United Airlines, Flight 5747, San Francisco to Vancouver (Affected rows 1-4)
• Sept. 8: Air Canada, Flight 112, Vancouver to Toronto (Affected rows 15-21)
Saturday's three additions to the list come following several more flights that were flagged as possible exposure sites by the BCCDC one day earlier.
Any travellers returning to B.C. are encouraged to check the public health agency's website for updates about flights identified for risk of exposure. Those travelling from outside of Canada, meanwhile, must arrive prepared with a 14-day self-isolation plan.
Passengers on any domestic flights listed as having carried a COVID-19 case are encouraged to self-monitor for symptoms for 14 days.
The country's two largest airlines ended their onboard seat distancing policies on July 1, raising health concerns amid a pandemic that has devastated the travel industry.
The abandonment of those policies has left many social media users wondering why airlines are permitted to ignore physical distancing protocols while other businesses must adhere to them, while others simply say they won't travel with airlines that don't have distancing policies in place.
The Government of Canada still recommends that Canadians avoid all travel outside of the country until further notice due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a global travel advisory, the government notes that "This advisory overrides other risk levels on this page, with the exception of any risk levels for countries or regions where we advise to avoid all travel."
— With files from The Canadian Press, Lindsay William-Ross and Elana Shepert.
