Jan 7 (Reuters) - WestJet Airways mentioned on Thursday it had denied 10 passengers from boarding a
Jan 7 (Reuters) – WestJet Airways mentioned on Thursday it had denied 10 passengers from boarding a flight for missing the right check for the novel coronavirus, simply after a Canadian authorities requirement that passengers present proof of a detrimental end result earlier than boarding took impact.
Confronted with a mounting second wave of infections, Canadian Transport Minister Marc Garneau mentioned final week that air vacationers aged 5 and up would want to check detrimental for the coronavirus earlier than boarding the aircraft, beginning on Jan. 7.
The worldwide airline business has been calling for COVID-19 testing as a approach to ease journey restrictions and reopen borders with out crippling quarantine measures, though Canada nonetheless requires worldwide passengers to self-isolate for 14 days.
Information of the shock Canadian measure left airways afraid of attainable confusion over which testing services overseas for the coronavirus had been eligible and the way the outcomes from the PCR (polymerase chain response) check have to be introduced to carriers.
WestJet mentioned on Thursday it couldn’t board the passengers as a result of they didn’t have eligible exams to satisfy the brand new authorities requirement.
Garneau’s workplace was not instantly obtainable for remark.
A WestJet spokeswoman mentioned by e mail the provider has rebooked the passengers denied boarding on the Thursday morning flight from Cancun to Calgary, however mentioned the “scenario additional highlights the challenges travellers and our operations are going through” from the brand new necessities.
“This newest announcement by the federal authorities is particularly the kind of chaotic scenario WestJet has been searching for to keep away from,” spokeswoman Morgan Bell mentioned.
As of Wednesday, Canada had reported an extra 8,153 coronavirus circumstances and 136 deaths.
The Worldwide Air Transport Affiliation (IATA) lately known as Canada’s choice to mandate a detrimental COVID-19 check inside 72 hours of flying to the nation, whereas leaving in place present journey restrictions and quarantine necessities, the “worst of each worlds.”
(Reporting by Allison Lampert in Montreal and Tracy Rucinski Modifying by Matthew Lewis)
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