@JustinTrudeau Thank you for increasing travel restrictions but it isn't strict enough. I am a tired frontline EM MD @CAEP_Docs, a leader to a very tired group of HCW and a worried Canadian citizen as the measures do not go far enough. Here is why:

If Person A contracts COVID from Person B who was sitting close to them on the plane (Both A and B could have tested -ve the day prior), A won’t test +ve on arrival (too soon). They will have had 2 -ve tests and the 14D quarantine will be hard for A to understand/abide.

I still have patients come into the ED and tell me: "But I had a negative test in October, why do I need another one today?"

If rapid swabs are used, many have a sensitivity of only ~90% (1/10 people who HAVE COVID will test -ve). Okay when the prevalence is low but ++ concerning when the prevalence is high as the abs. # of +ve cases missed is then quite high. Compare to PCR test with sens of =98-99%

We must be very careful as a country about when and how we use these rapid swabs. I feel great unease about using the rapid swabs in travelers.

Given the suspected high transmission of the U.K. variant , if there are 50 COVID+ve people on a large plane from the UK, 5 of them will test negative when in fact they are positive. Extremely hard to flatten any curve with that.

Please consider:
#1 Negative test before getting on the plane (decreases risk but doesn’t eliminate),
#2 PCR Test on arrival (98-99% sensitivity),
#3 Quarantine x 14 days in a facility,
#4 PCR test day 5
#5 PCR Test day 10

All paid for by the traveler... If ppl have chosen to travel after all of the guidelines about the risk to themselves and to fellow citizens, they can pay for this. Why do we trust that they will actually quarantine at home if they felt the initial rules didn't apply to them?

Otherwise the rest of us continue to foot the bill - whether it is through our tax $ or through the mental, physical and emotional exhaustion all Canadians see as we experience ongoing spread and the worry of the how the new variants will affect us.

We cannot eliminate COVID with one measure. We must distance, mask, isolate, quarantine travellers, test, trace and provide safe living and working conditions for all -
especially those living and working in tight, poorly ventilated spaces (LTC, shelters, essential workplaces)

People need to have enough paid sick days and job security that they don't come to work when they are even slightly under the weather. I know we don't have $ for all of this - we didn't have it in April either... But look where we could be...

Finally - we somehow need to get back to a stage where the majority of Canadians see themselves as a major part of the solution. No one is an exception - we all need to be part of this - but we also need to see that government measures are not favouring some citizens over others

I know I'm not a politician but I'm a very tired leader in emergency medicine who is finishing a 17 hr day, a very tired frontline worker, a very tired mom/spouse/family member and a very, very tired Canadian.