by Jim Byers
Last updated: 9:45 AM ET, Tue December 22, 2020
The federal government says international travel is not to blame for rising COVID-19 cases in Ontario.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Monday lambasted the Trudeau government for dragging its feet on the issue of rapid testing for arriving passengers at Toronto Pearson, the nation's largest airport.
Ford said not nearly enough people are following Ottawa's quarantine rules.
"Let's get the testing at the airport and stop the leak," the premier said. "It doesn't matter if it's ten people getting through; that's ten too many that are going to be out in the community spreading COVID."
But federal Health Minister Patty Hadju said the airport - and international travel - aren't the problem.
"The strong travel restrictions and border measures in place in Canada since March 2020 are working," she said in a statement to the Toronto Star. "Only 1.3% of all known COVID-19 cases in Ontario have originated from travel outside the country.
"With a 14-day quarantine in place, our b order measures are some of the strongest in the world," she said. "We will continue to use research and science to inform any next steps on border measures."
Rapid testing at Calgary International Airport began on November 2, a full seven weeks ago. Ford said he's been pressing the Trudeau government to approve a similar program for Ontario airports, but that nothing has happened. Hadju's office said they're working on it.
One issue could be the size differential between the two airports. Hadju's office said Ontario has asked for 900,000 arriving passengers to be screened in Toronto, while the Calgary pilot program involves just 52,000 passengers.
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