Air Canada is asking the Canadian government to ease some travel restrictions to help the airline with its “overall recovery.”
The airline published an open letter, where chief medical officer Dr. Jim Chang is asking the government to replace blanket COVID-19 restrictions with “more appropriate” restrictions to control the spread of the virus.
RELATED: More People In B.C. Apparently Have COVID-19 Than Previously Reported: Study
“Air Canada’s Chief Medical Officer today issued a letter urging the Canadian government to consider a science-based approach to easing the Quarantine Act restrictions, which have been essentially unchanged since March, to strike a better balance for travellers and for the Canadian economy without adversely impacting public health,” states the open letter.
The letter points to other G20 countries that have already allowed travel. It also points to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which suggests alternatives to the 14-day quarantine that Canada requires of any travellers entering from abroad.
It was the IATA that suggested phasing out limited capacity on airlines earlier this month.
The letter said restrictions are severely impacting Air Canada and its staff. The IATA report suggests there is little evidence of in-flight transmission. It cites an informal survey of 18 major airlines from earlier this year.
However, Chang said the airline is not asking to ease U.S. border restrictions, given the country’s high infection rate.
Since the pandemic began, Air Canada has had to lay off 60% of its workforce, due to the changing economic situation.
For more Vancouver news, head to our News section.
[sjnow-ad-large-leaderboard]
