Hamiltonians are travelling — and coming home with COVID
Nearly one in 10 cases of COVID-19 in Hamilton are connected to travel.
But does that mean we've got jet-setting risk-takers on our hands? Not necessarily.
According to Hamilton public health, a COVID case with direct travel history" can include anyone who left Hamilton, usually overnight," travelling to anywhere - from cottage country to Italy - prior to a positive test. A total of 81 of Hamilton's 959 cases involve people who travelled.
Still, a travel-related COVID case doesn't necessarily mean they got sick from travelling.
We have no indication of whether they caught the virus while travelling, but rather that they had direct travel history," said Jacqueline Durlov, spokesperson for Hamilton public health.
It's unclear how many of Hamilton's travel-related cases are connected to international travel or domestic travel, or when the people tested positive. Durlov said public health is unable to provide that breakdown.
Durlov did say many" cases were connected to international travel and that over a one-month period, from July 6 to Aug. 6, five cases were related to international travel. Two involved transportation-related work," meaning they work in a transportation-related industry, and three were connected to other travel." There is just one case in the last 10 days that involved travel - that person travelled within Canada, Durlov said.
Some people were on vacation.
We were seeing more of the leisure-related cases earlier on," Durlov said. As you can recall, the virus began spreading locally around March break."
The Quarantine Act requires any person entering Canada by air, sea or land to self-isolate for 14 days whether or not they have symptoms of COVID-19." Failure to comply could earn a fine of up to $750,000 and/or six months' imprisonment. Those who cause a risk of imminent death or serious bodily harm to another person while wilfully or recklessly contravening this act or the regulations" face a $1-million fine and/or imprisonment of up to three years.
It appears Hamiltonians are following the rules.
Jackie Penman, spokesperson for the Hamilton police, said police conducted 89 checks" on people who travelled internationally as of Aug. 7. No charges were laid.
But should - or could - you travel right now? Experts say it depends where.
It's a moving target," said Dr. Zain Chagla, an associate professor of medicine at McMaster University and an infectious disease physician at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton. Some cities locally have higher numbers of COVID cases, making them higher-risk destinations, and some countries have higher numbers than others.
Those numbers can change quickly.
Your safest bet, Chagla says, is to avoid any non-essential international travel. Voyages abroad come with additional risks, including that you might not be allowed on a plane if you're sick, and your insurance might not cover you for COVID-related health care in a foreign country.
Unless it's a life and limb" situation, don't go, Chagla says.
Dr. Dominik Mertz, associate professor in the division of infectious diseases at McMaster University, notes there are additional risks domestically that come with travelling outside of your home bubble.
When you're somewhere else, you want to maybe meet people, you want to go out, you want to go to restaurants, bars, etc.," Mertz said. You're more likely to do those things when you're on vacation."
Even going to a cottage might increase your risk if you plan on gathering with new people. His advice, if you must gather, is to do so outside.
And then, of course, there are places you can't visit and those where you will face restrictions upon arrival.
Those looking to travel to provinces such as New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and others must self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival. The Canada-United States border remains closed and many other countries have strict travel restrictions in place. The Canadian government advises Canadians to avoid non-essential travel.
When travelling domestically, Hamilton public health advises residents to consider the number of cases occurring in that area and the settings they are occurring in, and adjust their travel accordingly."
At all times we recommend that people continue to follow public health measures including limiting the number of close social contacts to their social circle of 10, washing their hands frequently, maintaining a physical distance of two metres, (as well as) wearing masks when indoors, (when) physical distancing is difficult or where required," Durlov said.
Katrina Clarke is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach her via email: katrinaclarke@thespec.com