Daily COVID-19 Update: June 12, 2020

Temperature Screening to Be Required for Travellers at Canadian Airports

Today the government announced an additional measure to this framework. The Government of Canada will now require temperature screenings for all passengers travelling to Canada or travellers departing Canadian airports for either international or domestic destinations.

For international flights to Canada, air operators must conduct temperature screenings at the point of departure, unless the local authority has an equivalent measure in place, in addition to the existing required health check questions for symptoms prior to boarding.

Within Canada, Canadian Air Transport Security Authority screeners will conduct the temperature screening of passengers as part of departure screening procedures. This is in addition to the health screening questions and the wearing of face coverings that are already required for all passengers.

The Government of Canada is taking a phased approach to implementing temperature screening.

• Phase 1: By June 30, 2020, all air operators will be required to conduct temperature screenings of all passengers travelling to Canada prior to departure from international or transborder points of departure.
• Phase 2: By the end of July, temperature screening stations will be placed in the departure section of the four major airports that are currently identified as the only Canadian airports for international travel (Montréal, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver).
• Phase 3: By September 2020, temperature screening stations will be in place in the departure sections of the next 11 busiest airports in Canada (St. John’s, Halifax, Québec City, Ottawa, Toronto – Billy Bishop, Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Kelowna, Victoria).

All passengers who have an elevated temperature and do not have a medical certificate to explain a medical or physical condition that would result in an elevated temperature, will not be permitted to continue their travel and will be asked to re-book after 14 days.

Spray Parks in Strathcona Island Park and Kiwanis Central Park will open June 13

Effective Saturday, June 13, the spray parks in both Strathcona Island Park and Kiwanis Central Park will be operating for public use. The park washrooms at both locations will be open with safety protocols in place. The City of Medicine Hat is actively reviewing guidance documents provided by the Government of Alberta on Tuesday and evaluating the impact those guidelines will have on various facilities returning to operation. The City reminds residents that relaunching amenities and facilities takes time, particularly with the needs to address COVID-19 related requirements. More information 

Province Cheers on Club for Bookworms

Albertans can support local authors and the province’s publishing industry while connecting with others at a safe distance through the Alberta Reads Book Club. The Book Publishers Association of Alberta hosts this new book club. The first book, selected by Minister of Culture, Multiculturalism and Status of Women Leela Sharon Aheer, is Pass Me By: Gone Fishin’, a graphic novel written and illustrated by Calgary-based Kyle Simmers and Ryan Danny Owen, and published by Renegade Arts Entertainment. The Book Publishers Association of Alberta website has a series of questions to guide discussions among book clubs across the province. Pass Me By: Gone Fishin’ is available as an e-book through local libraries and through local booksellers. More information is available at Alberta Reads Book Club. Readers can also follow #ABreads #ABbooks on social media.