'This is a wise decision': Manitobans from India, Pakistan agree with Canada's travel ban

Manitoba residents originally from India and Pakistan, who are closely watching the dire COVID-19 situation there, are not surprised the Canadian government is instituting a travel ban from the two countries.

Federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announced Thursday evening that all commercial and private passenger flights from India and Pakistan will be barred from landing in Canada for 30 days, as of 10:30 p.m. CDT Thursday.

Cargo flights carrying essentials, such as personal protective equipment, will still be allowed to land.

"It was coming because of this new [coronavirus] variant they have detected over in B.C. and Ontario from people coming from India," said Mukhtiar Singh of the Punjabi Literary and Cultural Association.

India, the second-most populated country in the world, is in the midst of a COVID-19 crisis. Cases, hospitalizations and deaths are skyrocketing. Hospitals are running out of beds and oxygen.

India saw an increase of 314,835 COVID-19 cases from Wednesday to Thursday — a record globally. Since the beginning of the pandemic, India has reported more than 15.9 million total cases — second only to the United States.

A new mutation of the original strain of SARS-CoV-2 has also emerged in the South Asian country. The B1617 variant was first detected in India last October, but experts speculate it could be behind the recent surge.

Cases of the B1617 variant have recently been reported in several Canadian provinces: Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia — the only provinces where international flights can land.

Less than two per cent of all air travellers coming to Canada end up testing positive for COVID-19, but there is a significant number of travellers on flights from India and Pakistan who have been testing positive recently, according to federal Health Minister Patty Hadju. 

People travelling from India made up half of all positive tests, even though only 20 per cent of travellers into Canada are coming from India, said Hajdu, citing federal data.

There are fewer daily cases being reported in Pakistan — 5,870 new cases were reported Thursday, according to the government of Pakistan website — but Hadju says there are similar rates of travellers from that country testing positive in Canada.

As part of the travel ban coming into effect Thursday night, anyone who departs from India or Pakistan but arrives in Canada from another country will have to produce a negative COVID-19 test result. The test would be taken from the traveller's last point of departure, before being allowed into Canada, said Alghabra.

"This is a wise decision. I know it's hard. It's a difficult decision. I'm sure there are people right now … in Pakistan for any reason, and this might cause a panic to them being stuck there," said Erum Tanvir, who grew up in Pakistan until moving to Winnipeg in 2005.

"We are in the middle of a third wave. What's going on in Ontario, Manitoba is not too far behind. I think it's a smart decision at this point in time."

The travel ban will put Tanvir slightly more at ease, as she is not yet eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine and is "constantly worried" for her health, she said.

The travel ban may pose a problem for Canadian citizens and permanent residents in those countries who planned on returning, said Nirmal Hari, editor of Punjabi People magazine, Manitoba's only East Indian community magazine.

Per federal health rules, all international travellers arriving in Canada by land or air must quarantine for 14 days and test negative for COVID-19.

But air travellers specifically must quarantine for at least three days at a government-approved hotel until COVID-19 test results return. If the results are negative, travellers can finish the rest of the self-isolation period at home with increased surveillance.

Anyone in India or Pakistan were likely planning their finances for the two-week isolation period, but now they have to completely change plans, said Hari.

"The biggest thing will be they will lose work. Some of them, they have to pay their mortgage or other things," he said.

For those in Manitoba watching the situation unfurl in India, it's nerve-wracking.

People interviewed by CBC News say the health-care system is not funded the same way as it is here, leading to worse facilities and outcomes. People there do not follow public health rules as strictly, including some politicians who have hosted election rallies.

"It's a very, very sad situation," said Singh.

Tanvir has been monitoring what people from Pakistan are saying about the situation in India. Pakistanis are concerned that if they don't learn from the situation in India and act now to prevent it, the same will occur in their country, she said.