Canada

Can vaccine travel mandates be returned to Canada? Algabra answers

On Monday, the federal government’s mandates for a vaccine for domestic and outbound international travel, as well as for federal workers, will be “suspended.” But what should happen to the COVID-19 pandemic to get the Liberals to rebuild them?

In an interview with CTV in question, Transport Minister Omar Algabra said it was difficult to say, citing the risk of new options, but added that he hoped liberals would not have to renew evidence of the vaccination requirement. .

“We need to be careful, and if things change in the fall, we may need to adjust our measures again. “I hope they don’t get worse, but if they do, we want to make sure we’re ready to protect Canadians,” he said.

Asked what the threshold would be to restore the mandates, Algabra said there were several variables in the game.

“For example, if – God forbid – we have an option that has a high infection rate but a low hospitalization rate, then even if the hospitalization rate is high, we may not need to impose harsh measures. But if we have an option that has a low rate of transmission but a high degree of severity, even if the hospitalization rate is low in the beginning, we need to be prepared for a high degree of severity, “he said.

“I understand that it is not safe, but we must be responsible,” said the transport minister. “But my commitment and that of our government is that we will do everything we can to protect the health and safety of Canadians.”

In an interview broadcast on Sunday, Algabra also spoke about the ongoing delays at airports, whether more needs to be done given the influx of passengers expected over the summer, and the role of airlines in improving the situation. Join CTV and the CTV News Channel for the full interview at 11 a.m. ET on June 19.