Only 14 flights with COVID-19 on board passed through B.C. airports last week
The B.C. Centre for Disease Control has added four more flights to its list of COVID-19 exposures, bringing the total number of notifications for the week to just 14.
That's the lowest weekly total B.C. has seen since CTV News Vancouver began tracking earlier this year.
After adding 10 flights to the list between Sunday and Wednesday, the centre added two flights on Thursday and two more on Friday.
The latest additions to the list either took off from or landed at a B.C. airport between June 6 and June 8. Details of the flights added follow.
- June 6: American Airlines flight 1415 from Dallas to Vancouver (rows not reported)
- June 6: Swoop flight 164 from Abbotsford to Winnipeg (rows 18 to 24)
- June 7: American Airlines flight 1415 from Dallas to Vancouver (rows 28 to 34)
- June 8: WestJet flight 119 from Calgary to Vancouver (rows one to four)
Anyone who was on any of the listed flights should self-monitor for symptoms of COVID-19, seeking testing and self-isolating if any develop, according to the BCCDC.
Passengers who were seated in the rows listed are considered to be at greater risk because of their proximity to a confirmed case of the coronavirus.
Studies have shown that the risk of contracting COVID-19 on an airplane is low, though there have been some examples of it happening.
The number of flights with COVID-19 cases on board passing through B.C. airports has declined significantly alongside caseloads since the peak of the pandemic's third wave in April.
B.C. is scheduled to end restrictions on non-essential travel within the province when it moves to Step 2 of its reopening plan, a move widely anticipated to happen on Tuesday.
Health officials have been recommending against non-essential travel within Canada throughout the pandemic, but that recommendation, too, is scheduled to end. B.C. residents will no longer be discouraged from domestic travel for recreational purposes when the province enters Step 3 of its plan, a change that will happen on July 1 at the earliest.
Last week, the federal government announced that it would be changing its rules for international travel as early as July, removing the 14-day quarantine requirement for fully vaccinated Canadians returning from abroad.
International tourists - even fully vaccinated ones - would not be allowed to skip the quarantine, at least during the first phase over the federal government's gradual easing of border restrictions.
Tourism-reliant businesses in B.C. have criticized the move, saying business could be even worse this summer than it was in 2020 if Canadians are able to travel abroad but international visitors aren't allowed to come.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.