Travellers showing COVID-19 symptoms will no longer be able to travel domestically by plane or train

Rewards Canada Team Uncategorized

During his daily update on Saturday Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced new measures to stop the spread of COVID-19 within our own country. As of right now (Noon ET Monday March 30) anyone looking to travel by plane or train within their own province or to other provinces will not be allowed to travel if they are showing any symptoms.

The onus is on the airlines and the rail companies to check their passengers before boarding and denying them travel should the be exhibiting any symptoms.

This an excerpt from the Transport Canada directive for air travel:

  • Beginning on March 30, 2020 at 12:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time:

    • Domestic Flights: Notify
      passengers, before boarding the aircraft for a domestic flight, that
      they may be subject to a measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19 taken
      by provincial or territorial government with jurisdiction at the
      destination airport for that flight; and
    • Domestic Flights and Flights Departing Canada:
      Conduct a health check of every passenger before the passenger boards
      the aircraft and advise every passenger that they are not to provide
      answers that they know to be false or misleading.

 And their guidance on how airlines should ask and handle their guests:

If the response (or non-response) to any of the four
questions below results in the answer that is in bold, then a denial of
boarding must be applied, in accordance with the Interim Order.


  1. Do you have a fever and a cough? If YES or passenger refuses to answer, deny boarding.
  2. Do you have a fever and breathing difficulty? If YES or passenger refuses to answer, deny boarding.
  3. Have you been refused boarding in the past 14 days due to a medical reason related to COVID-19? If YES or passenger refuses to answer, deny boarding.
  4. Are you the subject of a provincial/territorial or local public health order? If YES or passenger refuses to answer, deny boarding.

You can learn more about the rules being applied to air travel here. For train travel you can read TC’s directive here.

Title screenshot via Government of Canada