The Canada Border Services Agency says it’s stepping up efforts to detect passengers at the country’s airports who may be carrying COVID-19, following criticism the agency’s screening policies weren’t strong enough to confront the global pandemic.

Amy Goudge, a 30-year-old law student, was one of several air travellers who raised concerns on social media about how little scrutiny passengers appeared to face from federal officials as they entered Canada in recent days.

Goudge, who attends the University of Ottawa but is based in Toronto, had flown to Pearson International Airport from Detroit attending a conference across the border in Windsor, Ont. She told the Star in an interview that when she passed through customs and immigration at Pearson she was asked only one question related to COVID-19, and it was at an electronic kiosk.

“It prompted me to convey whether I’d been to Iran, Italy or China, but asked about no other destinations, and didn’t ask about whether I had expressed symptoms or been in contact with people who had,” she said.

“The human official really only asked me one question, which was what I was doing in Detroit ... No other questions, and certainly nothing health related.”

The three countries cited in the kiosk question have recorded serious outbreaks of COVID-19, but as of Monday U.S. officials had reported more than 4,600 cases in that country.

It’s now clear that days before Goudge arrived at Pearson, passengers who may have been carrying the virus travelled through the Toronto airport on flights from the U.S. and other countries not listed on the kiosk question.

In a post to its website that was updated Monday, WestJet said two passengers on a Feb. 28 flight from Phoenix, Ariz., had tested positive for the virus. One passenger who boarded at New York’s LaGuardia Airport March 12 also tested positive, as did passengers on March 11 flights from London’s Gatwick and Puerto Rico’s Luis Munoz Marin International Airport.

CBSA spokesperson Ashley Lemire said in an email Monday the agency has begun instituting enhanced screening measures that will be “finalized in the immediate future.”

As part of the new procedures, travellers found to be ill midflight will be met at the gate by CBSA officers, provided with a face mask and escorted through the airport to keep them away from other passengers.

The CBSA has also deployed teams of “roving officers” throughout arrival and baggage areas to observe passengers and engage with any who appear to be sick. “All travellers will be asked if they are feeling sick or unwell” before they leave the CBSA area, Lemire said.

Any passengers who report feeling ill will be referred to a Public Health Agency of Canada and won’t be permitted to board a public vehicle, like a bus or train, to leave the airport. They will be given a face mask, required to self-isolate for two weeks, and told to fill out a PHAC form that allows health authorities “to monitor and track those who have been identified as a potential concern.”

Screening questions are being added to electronic questionnaires asking travellers arriving from any country whether they are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, and prompting them to acknowledge they’re being asked to self-isolate for 14 days — regardless of whether they show signs of illness.

The CBSA will also provide handouts to all travellers arriving in Canada advising them of the importance of self-isolating for two weeks, and advising them to contact public health authorities if they develop symptoms.

“These measures complement routine traveller screening procedures already in place to prepare for, detect and respond to the spread of serious infectious diseases into and within Canada,” Lemire said.

“CBSA officers remain vigilant and are highly trained to identify travellers seeking entry into Canada who may pose a health and safety risk.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defended the CBSA’s screening policies to date at a press conference in Ottawa Monday at which he also announced the Canadian government would temporarily bar most foreign citizens from entering the country. For now the ban won’t apply to U.S. citizens.

Trudeau also announced that as of March 18, incoming international flights from most locations outside the U.S. and Mexico would be limited to just four Canadian airports: Pearson, Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Vancouver International and Calgary International.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

“I will highlight that the situation as we all know has been evolving extremely rapidly. We’ve taken measures over the past number of days to keep Canadians safe,” Trudeau said when asked about accusations airport screening has been too weak.

“We’re taking more measures, significant measures today. I can understand people’s frustrations, that’s why we’re ensuring that there’s more that will be done every step of the way to keep Canadians safe.”

On Sunday, the CBSA confirmed that one of its employees working at Pearson had tested positive for COVID-19. The agency said the worker was at home in isolation and following directions from health officials.

Tori Gass, a spokesperson for the Greater Toronto Airport Authority, which operates Pearson, said the airport was prepared to become one of just four airports in the country accepting international flights.

“As Canada’s largest airport we are well positioned to accept any additional international flights to support the Public Health Agency of Canada, Canada Border Services Agency and our airline partners,” she said.

Read more about: