Concerns raised over China COVID-19 test requirement

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The federal authorities’s new requirement for a detrimental COVID-19 check for vacationers from China takes impact Thursday as that nation faces its largest wave of virus infections.

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The measure has drawn criticism from some infectious illness consultants, in addition to a former Calgary MLA who says the requirement dangers exacerbating anti-Chinese language Canadian discrimination that has bubbled up throughout the pandemic.

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“The accumulative impact is concentrating on individuals of Chinese language descent,” mentioned Teresa Woo-Paw, the primary lady of Asian descent elected to the Alberta legislature. She is now a part of ACT2endracism, a gaggle based to fight anti-Asian hatred throughout the pandemic.

“They are not conscious or being attentive to the affect on Canadians of Chinese language descent.”

Well being consultants say requirement will not assist

Woo-Paw mentioned she understands the necessity for public well being measures to curb the unfold of COVID-19, however questions the true well being worth of Ottawa’s coverage, which requires individuals coming from China, Hong Kong and Macao to should check detrimental for the virus earlier than leaving for Canada.

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A number of well being consultants advised The Canadian Press this week that the requirement won’t assist forestall virus unfold or the emergence of recent COVID-19 variants.

“We all know from the previous that very centered and focused journey measures like this do little to stop the unfold of COVID, both by the importation of COVID into Canada or by the specter of variants of concern in Canada,” the College of Toronto’s Dr. Isaac Bogoch advised the information company.

“However let’s not fake that having vacationers from China have a detrimental PCR check earlier than coming to Canada may have any affect on the Canadian expertise with COVID-19. . . It will not.”

China endures its worst wave but

China is presently enduring its worst wave of COVID-19 infections throughout the pandemic, a surge that got here because the Chinese language authorities lifted strict lockdown measures that had been in place for almost three years, following protests throughout the nation in opposition to these restrictions.

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Saying the admissions testing measures on New 12 months’s Eve, Canada’s Public Well being Company mentioned the coverage was supposed to restrict attainable variant unfold, with China performing solely restricted genome sequencing on its circumstances. The measures apply to air vacationers aged two and over, and can stay in place for 30 days.

Calgary Worldwide Airport mentioned it was working with the federal company on the testing necessities, including that it has no direct flights to or from China.

“We advocate that friends seek the advice of the Authorities of Canada’s journey advisory and up to date bulletins earlier than touring,” the airport authority mentioned.

Woo-Paw mentioned she feels the concentrating on of solely Chinese language vacationers is the newest in a line of discrimination Chinese language Canadians have confronted over the pandemic. These embody stories of discrimination by members of the local people and racist graffiti scrawled on the wall of the Chinese language consulate early within the pandemic.

“Phrases affect individuals’s lives, and phrases affect how individuals are perceived, and proper now many Canadians of Chinese language descent really feel alienated,” she mentioned.

– With recordsdata from The Canadian Press

jherring@postmedia.com

Twitter: @jasonfherring