Canadians on a repatriation flight from Peru where a passenger had a confirmed case of COVID-19 say they weren’t screened

VANCOUVER-A flight repatriating Canadians from Peru to Toronto had a person with a confirmed case of COVID- 19 on board, according to the federal government. Now, other passengers from the flight say there was no screening for the virus before the plane took off.

Miriam Riaboy was on the Air Canada flight from Lima to Toronto on March 26, Riaboy said she was surprised that passengers were not screened before getting on the aircraft bound for Canada.

"We walked into the plane and that was it," she said. "No checking temperature, no asking us if we were sick or not. Nada."

But Air Canada insists measures to screen passengers in keeping with federal regulations were implemented for the flight.

According to a federal government website tracking confirmed cases of COVID-19 on flights, the March 26 trip from Lima to Toronto had a person with a confirmed case of the virus onboard.

It was one of a number of flights arranged by Air Canada and the federal government to get Canadians out of the South American country and back home amid the COVID-19 pandemic. More flights are scheduled.

Peru has been under a tight lockdown as the government there attempts to stop the spread of the virus. There are 5,440 Canadians registered there with the federal government, according to Global Affairs Canada. Not all of them may be trying to return to Canada and not every Canadian in the country is registered, said the department.

Others complained about what they said was a lack of screening on a Facebook group dedicated to Canadians in Peru who are waiting to get out of the country.

Riaboy said that prior to boarding the plane, passengers took buses to the airbase and waited in them for three hours. She's concerned that whoever had the virus could have exposed people to it on the buses, or on the flight to Toronto.

The federal government's site said rows two through eight on the flight are affected. It goes on to say that passengers on flights where others have tested positive for COVID-19 should take measures to ensure they do not expose others.

Though she was given a pamphlet by Health Canada officials when she arrived in Toronto, Riaboy said she was not told to check the site tracking confirmed cases and did not get any kind of confirmation concerning a confirmed case on her flight.

She said her daughter found the tracking site online while searching for any notices that may have applied to her flight.

Riaboy, who has been self-isolating since returning to Canada, said she was in row 10. She said she felt uneasy getting on the plane when she saw no one was being screened, but was worried she would be left in Peru if she complained.

On March 15, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said those flying into Canada would be subject to health checks before boarding planes. Such checks include looking for signs of fever, coughing and difficulty breathing and asking passengers questions prior to boarding. He said that those exhibiting symptoms would not be allowed to board planes.

Rebecca Purdy, a spokesperson for Canada Border Services Agency, said the screenings are the responsibility of the airlines.

"Airlines are required to prevent any traveller who presents symptoms from boarding a flight to Canada; air carriers are also required to conduct in-flight monitoring of passengers for potential symptoms," Purdy said in an email Wednesday.

Air Canada spokesperson Peter Fitzpatrick said that's just what the airline's employees did.

"Our policy is to ask passengers the health questions mandated by the federal government and this has been happening," Fitzpatrick said. "These procedures were in place for this particular flight from Lima and we understand they were implemented."

He said there is no information about "irregularities" from the flight.

Riaboy also said when the flight was over, she was surprised there was no screening done by health officials at Pearson International airport in Toronto, aside from a Health Canada official telling them to self-isolate.

She said she's grateful for the efforts made by embassy staff and the government to bring Canadians home, but expected more stringent oversight to check for potentially infected passengers.

Jeremy Nuttall is a Vancouver-based investigative reporter for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @Nuttallreports