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No public health officials screening for COVID-19 at Canadian land borders – Global News

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There are currently no public health officials stationed at Canada-U.S. land border crossings to assist in screening for COVID-19, Global News has learned.

The union that represents border officers has been asking the government to place health officials at all major land border crossings for weeks, but so far nothing has been done, said union president Jean-Pierre Fortin.


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“Zero. Zero presence,” Fortin said.

In March, Canada closed its border to foreign nationals who had recently travelled outside Canada or the United States.

Border restrictions were then extended to include all non-essential travel between Canada and the U.S., and a mandatory, 14-day self-isolation period is now required for anyone returning.


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To facilitate these measures and assist border officers in the screening process, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) stationed health officials at airports and began handing out pamphlets with information on social distancing, quarantine and other health precautions people must follow.






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According to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), its enhanced screening measures at airports include directing anyone who says they feel ill or who displays signs of sickness to on-site PHAC employees for further questioning.

But this isn’t happening at land border crossings because no PHAC employees are stationed there.

And with the majority of people entering Canada travelling by land — including thousands of essential workers who cross the border daily — Fortin says the health and safety of border officers are being put at risk due to the absence of immediate and sound medical advice.

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“We’re still prepared to do the work and keep Canadians safe, but a little help from Health Canada would be really appreciated,” Fortin said.

Land crossings exceed air travel

According to data released by the CBSA, roughly 478,000 people entered Canada in the first two weeks after border restrictions were implemented. About 65 per cent of these travellers entered Canada through a land border crossing.

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Between March 30 and April 5, the most recent week for which data is available, land border crossings outpaced air travellers by a factor of almost four to one.






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Fortin says the biggest advantages of having public health officials at land border crossings would be for them to see the daily working environment for CBSA officers and provide on-the-spot guidance with the screening process.


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He also said he can’t understand why PHAC staff would be placed at airports and not land border crossings, especially when these sites are now the biggest contributors to cross-border travel and places like Detroit, Mich. — just across the river from Windsor, Ont. — have become epicentres for the global COVID-19 outbreak.

“If one of our officers gets contaminated and can spread the disease, we’re not going to be ahead here,” he said.

Public health officials available ‘by phone’

Global News asked Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair — who’s run point on all border-related issues during the pandemic — to explain why PHAC employees are not stationed at Canada’s land border crossings. A spokesperson for Blair’s office directed the request to Health Canada, saying it would be better positioned to provide a response.

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Health Canada, which is responsible for PHAC, said it has several “standard border measures in place” to mitigate the risk of introducing and spreading communicable diseases in Canada, including 24-7 access to a PHAC quarantine officer from all international points of entry.


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If a border officer believes someone is sick or has symptoms that could pose a threat, they will contact a quarantine officer who can make an assessment and may order the traveller to undergo a medical examination, said Health Canada spokesperson Natalie Mohamed.

Health Canada did not, however, explain why there are no PHAC employees stationed at land border crossings, nor did it explain the process by which CBSA officers at the Canada-U.S. border contact public health officials if they believe someone poses a risk.

The CBSA, meanwhile, confirmed that no public health officials have been placed at land border crossings and said initial contact between the CBSA and PHAC is done over the phone.

“We are continually assessing our operational posture with our colleagues at the Public Health Agency of Canada, including where their screening officers and quarantine officers are needed and best utilized. Should circumstances change, we will revisit,” said CBSA spokesperson Rebecca Purdy in a written statement.

The CBSA also said the health and safety of its officers is its top priority and that all front-line workers are provided with personal protective equipment and specialized training at both airports and land border crossings.

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Anyone entering Canada who says they are sick or who displays signs of illness is provided with information on how to self-isolate and quarantine requirements.

© 2020 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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Langford, Heim lead Rangers to wild 13-8 win over Blue Jays

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ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Rookie Wyatt Langford homered, doubled twice and became the first Texas player this season to reach base five times, struggling Jonah Heim delivered a two-run single to break a sixth-inning tie and the Rangers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 13-8 on Tuesday night.

Leody Taveras also had a homer among his three hits for the Rangers.

Langford, who also walked twice, has 12 homers and 25 doubles this season. He is hitting .345 in September.

“I think it’s really important to finish on a strong note,” Langford said. “I’m just going to keep trying to do that.”

Heim was 1-for-34 in September before he lined a single to right field off Tommy Nance (0-2) to score Adolis García and Nathaniel Lowe, giving Texas a 9-7 lead. Heim went to the plate hitting .212 with 53 RBIs after being voted an All-Star starter last season with a career-best 95 RBIs. He added a double in the eighth ahead of Taveras’ homer during a three-run inning.

Texas had 13 hits and left 13 men on. It was the Rangers’ highest-scoring game since a 15-8 win at Oakland on May 7.

Matt Festa (5-1) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings to earn the win, giving him a 5-0 record in 13 appearances with the Rangers after being granted free agency by the New York Mets on July 7.

Nathan Eovaldi, a star of Texas’ 2023 run to the franchise’s first World Series championship, had his worst start of the year in what could have been his final home start with the Rangers. Eovaldi, who will be a free agent next season, allowed 11 hits (the most of his two seasons with Texas) and seven runs (tied for the most).

“I felt like early in the game they just had a few hits that found the holes, a few first-pitch base hits,” said Eovaldi, who is vested for a $20 million player option with Texas for 2025. “I think at the end of the day I just need to do a better job of executing my pitches.”

Eovaldi took a 7-3 lead into the fifth inning after the Rangers scored five unearned runs in the fourth. The Jays then scored four runs to knock out Eovaldi after 4 2/3 innings.

Six of the seven runs scored against Toronto starter Chris Bassitt in 3 2/3 innings were unearned. Bassitt had a throwing error during Texas’ two-run third inning.

“We didn’t help ourselves defensively, taking care of the ball to secure some outs,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said.

The Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had a double and two singles, his most hits in a game since having four on Sept. 3. Guerrero is hitting .384 since the All-Star break.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Blue Jays: SS Bo Bichette (calf) was activated and played for the first time since July 19, going 2 for 5 with an RBI. … OF Daulton Varsho (shoulder) was placed on the 10-day injured list and will have rotator cuff surgery … INF Will Wagner (knee inflammation) was placed on the 60-day list.

UP NEXT

Rangers: LHP Chad Bradford (5-3, 3.97 ERA) will pitch Wednesday night’s game on extended five days’ rest after allowing career highs in hits (nine), runs (eight) and home runs (three) in 3 2/3 innings losing at Arizona on Sept. 14.

Blue Jays: RHP Bowden Francis (8-4, 3.50) has had two no-hitters get away in the ninth inning this season, including in his previous start against the New York Mets on Sept. 11. Francis is the first major-leaguer to have that happen since Rangers Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan in 1989.

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Billie Jean King set to earn another honor with the Congressional Gold Medal

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Billie Jean King will become the first individual female athlete to be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.

Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey announced Tuesday that their bipartisan legislation had passed the House of Representatives and would be sent to President Joe Biden for his signature.

The bill to honor King, the tennis Hall of Famer and activist, had already passed unanimously in the Senate.

Sherrill, a Democrat, said in a statement that King’s “lifetime of advocacy and hard work changed the landscape for women and girls on the court, in the classroom, and the workplace.”

The bill was introduced last September on the 50th anniversary of King’s victory over Bobby Riggs in the “Battle of the Sexes,” still the most-watched tennis match of all-time. The medal, awarded by Congress for distinguished achievements and contributions to society, has previously been given to athletes including baseball players Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente, and golfers Jack Nicklaus, Byron Nelson and Arnold Palmer.

King had already been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. Fitzpatrick, a Republican, says she has “broken barriers, led uncharted paths, and inspired countless people to stand proudly with courage and conviction in the fight for what is right.”

___

AP tennis:

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Account tweaks for young Instagram users ‘minimum’ expected by B.C., David Eby says

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SURREY, B.C. – Premier David Eby says new account control measures for young Instagram users introduced Tuesday by social media giant Meta are the “minimum” expected of tech companies to keep kids safe online.

The parent company of Instagram says users in Canada and elsewhere under 18 will have their accounts set to private by default starting Tuesday, restricting who can send messages, among other parental controls and settings.

Speaking at an unrelated event Tuesday, Eby says the province began talks with social media companies after threatening legislation that would put big tech companies on the hook for “significant potential damages” if they were found negligent in failing to keep kids safe from online predators.

Eby says the case of Carson Cleland, a 12-year-old from Prince George, B.C., who took his own life last year after being targeted by a predator on Snapchat, was “horrific and totally preventable.”

He says social media apps are “nothing special,” and should be held to the same child safety standards as anyone who operates a place that invites young people, whether it’s an amusement park, a playground or an online platform.

In a progress report released Tuesday about the province’s engagement with big tech companies including Google, Meta, TikTok, Spapchat and X, formerly known as Twitter, the provincial government says the companies are implementing changes, including a “trusted flagger” option to quickly remove intimate images.

— With files from The Associated Press

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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