WHO Lifts Travel Advisory Against Visiting Toronto

CTV News ^ | April 29, 2003 | Press Conference

[MalcolmS]

CTV.ca News Staff

The World Health Organization is lifting a travel advisory to Toronto, effective Wednesday. The advisory was imposed last week over the SARS outbreak that has killed 21 in the city in the last two months.

The change in the advisory comes just hours after a delegation, led by Ontario's Health Minister Tony Clement, met with WHO Director General Gro Harlem Brundtland. Clement and his team were in Geneva to try and convince the WHO to lift the three-week advisory, slapped on Toronto last Wednesday.

Following the hour-long meeting, Clement said he was hopeful there would be a "positive announcement." But if not, he wants the WHO to tell them what more needs to be done.

"If what we are doing is not good enough . .. tell us what we need to do that will get the advisory lifted. I think that will be the fair thing to do."

He said Toronto met several of the criteria for having the advisory lifted: There have been two incubation periods, or 20 days, since the last new case and no new community transmissions.

"They understood that," he said. "They were certainly aware that in terms of a spread to a non-health worker, that has not occurred since April 9 in Ontario and in Toronto, so that is a piece of good news as well."

WHO spokesperson Christine McNab said the organization also considers screening procedures used at airports.

On Monday, federal Health Minister Anne McLellan announced the government will look at installing infrared fever detection equipment at airports.

However, Ron Newport of Cantronic Systems, the only company in Canada that manufactures heat sensitive cameras, said Health Canada has not contacted them. "There's been contact from our side, but no response," he told Canada AM.

In an interview with Canada AM later Tuesday, McLellan bristled when asked if she could say when the technology would be put in place. "No, I can't," she told host Lisa LaFlamme. "In fact, we are working on the implementation plan right now."

She said they are preparing to begin pilot projects using infrared cameras at the Toronto and Vancouver airports. However, she said there are still questions about their effectiveness.

"And certainly at this point, the jury is very much still out in terms of what they actually add to the public health protection of those Canadians and people here abroad," she said.

Meanwhile, a group of WHO officials are expected in Toronto on Wednesday to see what efforts are being made on the ground to contain the disease.

Back in Canada, Prime Minister Jean Chretien showed his solidarity with Toronto by holding his weekly cabinet meeting in the city. Also Tuesday, the Toronto Blue Jays will play to a sell-out crowd, who bought tickets for $1 under a special offer to get people back to the city.

As of Monday, there were 39 active probable cases in Ontario, and 498 people in quarantine. Dr. Colin D'Cunha, the province's chief medical officer of health, who is part of the Geneva delegation, said many of those in quarantine only have a few days left of their 10-day isolation periods.

In the future, the SARS containment team is only going to stress probable cases. In the past, it had lumped both probable and suspect cases together, which is in contrast to the WHO.

With reports from The Canadian Press

[MalcolmS]

Live Press Conference Now

Statistical Analysis shows active cases down 48% from peak (85 cases vs. 164 at peak).

[abnegation]

My question is: Who in the hell would want to go to traitorland?

[goldstategop]

I guess Toronto can breathe a sigh of relief now.

[TaRaRaBoomDeAyGoreLostToday!]

Canada was TICKED OFF at this ban, they must have had enough money to pay off the folks to take their Toronto OFF this list that is costing them ALOT of tourist money, daily.

[TaRaRaBoomDeAyGoreLostToday!]

Not without their surgical masks on.

[goldstategop]

Ontario Province is run by Progressive Conservatives. You have to decide whether to wait til Canadians dump the federal Liberals from power to declare our boycott of the Great White North over.

[MalcolmS]

My question is: Who in the hell would want to go to traitorland?

I believe the Texas Rangers (baseball variety) are contractually required to go to Toronto in the near future,as well as a number of other MLB teams.

They might be relieved.

[goldstategop]

Yup. Only two Canadian cities are in MLB. The other is in Quebec.

[MalcolmS]

Canada was TICKED OFF at this ban, they must have had enough money to pay off the folks to take their Toronto OFF this list that is costing them ALOT of tourist money, daily.

Only the eternally cynical would point out that Canada appears to have acted unilaterally to influence the ruling of a UN body, the WHO.

[Grampa Dave]

You beat me to it. Like their French Gene Masters, you can bet the people of Toronto drop a lot of Canadian $'s with the Who key dogs to get this ban lifted.

You posted, "Canada was TICKED OFF at this ban, they must have had enough money to pay off the folks to take their Toronto OFF this list that is costing them ALOT of tourist money, daily."

[goldstategop]

Toronto must look like a ghost town. When I was there last year it was packed with the tourists.

[Tacis]

"NO BLOOD FOR MAPLELEAFS!"

I know its stupid, but is exactly the same logic that the Canadians used to argue against us going to Iraq and it makes as much sense to prevent Americans from going to Toronto. The risk of Americans deaths in Toronto is about the same as it was in Baghdad. I'm just about as interested in going to Toronto as I would have been in going to Baghdad.

[Grampa Dave]

May Toronto and Montreal look like ghost towns for the rest of this decade!

[Mo1]

They can lift the ban .. but is won't make people feel any better by going there ..

[goldstategop]

Since when have people ever believed the government? We all know its a conspiracy straight out of the "X-Files."

[MalcolmS]

Toronto must look like a ghost town. When I was there last year it was packed with the tourists.

We have relatives who live in Toronto. Apart from the Pacific Mall (mostly Aisan businesses) being empty, and some dropoff at Chinese restaurants, everyone is pretty much going about their lives.

I'm not sure you could tell the difference from Tourists. In general, April is not a big tourist time, as the weather is iffy.

I read that the Blue Jays-Rangers game tonight is sold out after the owners put up all unsold seats for $1.00 CAD ($.69 US) as a kind of anti-SARS protest. Theatre tickets are going cheap too.

[dc-zoo]

Yes, it looks like Toronto has successfully lied their way out of the travel advisory. What stops another traveling super spreader from starting another outbreak of sars in any of these places that claim to have things under control?

[headsonpikes]

"I'm just about as interested in going to Toronto as I would have been in going to Baghdad."

In T.O., the climate's worse, the parking's worse and the population is more hostile, but the restaurants are better.

[goldstategop]

LOL!!! Don't tempt me into snapping up Toronto bargains galore! ;-)

[MalcolmS]

Previously on FR

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/885688/posts

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