Toronto Pearson Airport no longer divides travelers
Last week's decision to segregate passengers based on vaccination status has been reversed. Why?
On Saturday, Beverly MacDonald, senior communications adviser at Toronto's Pearson Airport, told CTV News Toronto that the airport separates arriving travellers into vaccinated and unvaccinated queues before going through customs.
The airport said that this decision was dictated by the desire to simplify the processing of arrivals at the border, as there are different entry requirements for vaccinated and unvaccinated or partially vaccinated travellers.
However, as early as Tuesday, the Toronto airport authority reversed that decision, arguing that Pearson, in cooperation with the government and other partners, had determined that the separation into vaccinated and partially/unvaccinated passengers in customs queues resulted in minimal operational efficiency.
Beverly McDonald clarified that "the practice of segregation will cease at the airport as of July 26, 2021, and passenger entry requirements based on vaccination status will be applied after they have reached border and customs control."
Asked by reporters why the Pearson administration took such action, Health Canada Minister Patti Hajdu explained that she could not speak to the decisions made by international airports and that she had not been consulted on the matter.
"As you know, the ministry monitors the measures that are taken at the border in relation to vaccination requirements. But I assume that many of the operators responsible for orderly passage through the various arrival halls make their decisions based on efficiency and public health principles," Haidu added.
Vancouver International Airport has also joined Pearson. Melanie Belanger-Finn of airport administration said that "passengers entering Canada from the United States or another international destination will no longer be segregated based on vaccination status prior to arrival at customs.
