OTTAWA — Canada’s top public health officer is warning that any decision to reopen the country’s international border — including with the United States — must be taken with “extreme caution.”
Dr. Theresa Tam provided the assessment Tuesday when asked for her scientific advice to the Trudeau government as it examines bilateral restrictions on nonessential travel at the U.S. frontier.
Tam said that before allowing more people to cross Canada’s international border, lawmakers must, among other things, keep track of where other countries are in their fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Of course, the United States being one country that still has cases and is still trying to manage outbreaks … they present a risk to Canada from that perspective,” she told reporters in Ottawa. “So, we have to take that into account.”
Tam’s comments come with Canada and the U.S. in talks to determine whether to extend their agreement once again on the shutdown of all nonessential cross-border travel for another 30 days. The deal, if not renewed, will expire next week.
Politically, any decision to allow more people to trickle into Canada will be complicated. Many north of the border are worried about the prospect of opening the boundary to more American travelers due to the pandemic's much larger impact in the U.S.
As of Tuesday, the U.S. reported 16 times more deaths from Covid-19 than Canada and 19 times more cases, according to the latest figures from the countries' health authorities. The U.S. population is about nine times bigger than Canada's.
U.S. decision-makers also heard warnings Tuesday from top public health officials to proceed carefully when it comes to easing the lock downs.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Trump administration’s top infectious disease expert, testified earlier in the day that the “consequences could be really serious” if the U.S. lifts restrictions before states are prepared to respond to new coronavirus cases.
Fauci’s warning contrasted with arguments made in recent weeks by President Donald Trump, who has been calling for a rapid reopening of the U.S. economy even as the death toll moves higher.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday his government will be “very, very careful about reopening any international travel, including the United States before we feel that it is time.”
Trudeau said the focus is cutting down the number of domestic Covid-19 cases in order to restart certain sectors of the economy.
“That must be done gradually, it must be done with tremendous vigilance and we need to make sure that we have the mechanisms and the materials in place to deal with any further spreads or spikes,” Trudeau told reporters.
“Preventing transmission from outside of Canada into Canada once we have controlled the spread within Canada will be an essential part of ensuring that we don't fall back into a second wave that could be as serious as this wave we're going through, or even more so.”
On Monday, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said that, even without any changes to the border restrictions, the frontier will see more travelers as the economies in both countries restart.
Freeland predicted more essential movements across the border as business activity picks up — and she added it will force the government to do even more to ensure Canadians’ safety.
As things open up, Tam said the ability to test, track, isolate and quarantine people will remain the “key cornerstones” of public health practices.
She said the provinces have been informed Canada will first see how well things go as it lifts domestic restrictions before it moves to open its international border.
“It is something that we’ll have to watch really carefully so that it is not an issue that’s going to overwhelm our public health capacity.”
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Canada’s top doctor: Approach U.S. border reopening with ‘extreme caution’ - POLITICO
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