The government’s own expert advisory panel said that the hotel quarantine is not needed, is expensive and is inconsistent with the incubation period of the…
Alberta’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw. Photo by Chris Schwarz /Government of Alberta
Albertans who have an eligible medical condition that allows for a mask exemption are now required to carry a doctor’s note, the province’s top doctor said Thursday in response to some people finding “loopholes” in existing guidelines.
Effective Thursday, a medical exemption letter provided by a nurse practitioner, physician or psychologist is required to verify qualified medical conditions, such as sensory processing disorders, cognitive impairment, facial trauma and recent oral or jaw surgeries.
“There have been some incidents reported in the media where individuals who are not following public health rules are perhaps seeking loopholes or areas in the rules where it’s not clear,” said Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health.
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Almost one third of all air travellers arriving in Canada have been allowed to skip the mandatory stay in a government-approved quarantine hotel, a rate of exemption from the controversial COVID-19 control measure that could undermine its public health goals.
About 88,000 arriving international air travellers were deemed exempt from the expensive hotel stay requirement, according to the most recent data from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). The agency would not provide a breakdown of the reasons for these exemptions.
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