The British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) has added another round of B.C. flights to its list of public COVID-19 exposures.
Between Monday, Nov. 30 and Thursday, Dec. 3, the public health agency warned passengers who travelled aboard the following 11 flights that they may have been exposed to the coronavirus while flying in or out of the province recently:
- Nov. 19, WestJet Flight 188, Kelowna to Calgary (Affected rows 14-20)
- Nov. 24, WestJet Flight 3342, Calgary to Kelowna (Affected rows 7-13)
- Nov. 28, WestJet Flight 725, Toronto to Vancouver (Affected rows 1-7)
- Nov. 20, Delta 7131, Toronto to Vancouver (Affected rows 1-5)
- Nov. 24, Air Canada 234, Vancouver to Edmonton (Affected rows 20-16)
- Nov. 27, Air Canada 241, Edmonton to Vancouver (Affected rows 14-20)
- Nov. 17, Air Canada 225, Calgary to Vancouver (Affected rows 13-19)
- Nov. 23, WestJet 725, Toronto to Vancouver (Affected rows 1-5)
- Nov. 22, WestJet Flight 3455, Calgary to Abbotsford (Affected rows 14-19)
- Nov. 24, Air Canada Flight 554, Vancouver to Los Angeles (Affected rows not reported)
- Nov. 25, United Airlines Flight 5312, San Francisco to Vancouver (Affected rows 18-24)
The latest round of updates come following numerous B.C. flights that have been identified in recent days for carrying one or more individuals who have since tested positive for the virus, including seven flights the BCCDC announced last weekend.
The latest additions to the list were announced a few hours after provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced 694 new cases of the virus confirmed in a 24-hour period, along with 12 more deaths attributable to the coronavirus.
As cases continue to spike, the provincial health officer implemented new orders earlier this month instructing British Columbians to avoid any non-essential travel outside their home communities until at least Dec. 7.
Your flight has been identified for having COVID-19 on board. What next?
The BCCDC is encouraging travellers who recently returned to B.C. to check the public health agency's website for updates about flights identified for potential exposures. Passengers who flew aboard a domestic flight flagged for carrying a COVID-19 case are encouraged to self-monitor for symptoms for 14 days following their flight.
Any passengers who have travelled outside of Canada, meanwhile, are required to self-isolate and self-monitor for symptoms for 14 days upon their arrival.
Any returning travellers who develop symptoms following their arrival in Canada should get tested for COVID-19. Individuals who test positive are required to self-isolate for a minimum of 14 days from their arrival date, or 10 days after onset of symptoms, whichever is longer.
While self-monitoring for symptoms of the virus— which may include fever, cough, chills, sore throat, loss of sense of smell or taste and many more—individuals should take and record their temperature daily, and avoid taking fever-reducing medications like acetaminophen or ibuprofen, if possible, for 14 days following their return to Canada or last known exposure to a confirmed COVID-19 case. The average normal body temperature taken orally is about 37°C, according to the BCCDC.
For more information about self-monitoring and self-isolation, head to the BCCDC's website.
Pandemic devastating travel industry
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.
Some people continue to take to social media to ask why airlines are permitted to ignore physical distancing protocol while other businesses must adhere to them; others simply say they won't travel with airlines that don't have distancing policies in place.
As the coronavirus pandemic rages on, the government continues to discourage Canadians from any non-essential travel outside Canada until further notice. Officials have implemented a global travel advisory that effectively "overrides other risk levels ... with the exception of any risk levels for countries or regions where we advise to avoid all travel."
- With files from Elana Shepert, Lindsay William-Ross and the Canadian Press
