OTTAWA—Amid all the measures federal ministers announced on Friday to slow the spread of COVID-19, one option was conspicuously absent: Ottawa won’t impose travel restrictions on international visitors — at least not yet.

A growing number of countries — most recently the United States — have imposed some form of travel restrictions as the world grapples with the spreading coronavirus pandemic. When asked Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau didn’t close the door to the idea of closing the door.

The Liberals have faced calls, notably from the opposition Conservatives, to put in place more stringent health-screening practices at airports. Quebec Premier François Legault called on Trudeau to sharply limit the number of foreign visitors entering the country, while Ontario’s top medical officer has recommended against non-essential travel.

Some, including Conservative leadership hopeful Peter MacKay, applauded U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision earlier this week to impose a temporary ban on European travellers to America.

But health experts are skeptical about the efficacy of travel restrictions as a way to slow the spread of COVID-19 domestically.

“Travel restrictions are some of the least effective (responses). Travel restrictions are the measure that you think ought to work, so they have this very powerful brain stem thing … but the data tells you that they’re not that good,” said infectious disease specialist Allison McGreer of Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto.

“I think we need to be focusing on global social distancing measures within our population more than we focus on trying to keep (COVID-19) out. We now have community transmission in Canada…it has started, it’s going to progress, and we need to focus on that as the major issue, not on travel-related cases.”

Last week, a team of scientists at Northwestern University found that China’s travel restrictions in Wuhan — the epicentre of the global pandemic — did not stop the spread of the virus, but only slowed its transmission by three to five days.

Travel restrictions alone, the scientists found, were insufficient unless coupled with tactics like social distancing — basically limiting social interactions and staying home if sick. On Friday, Canada’s chief medical officer embraced social distancing as a way to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Canada.

Kate Mulligan of the Alliance for Healthier Communities advocacy group advised that Canadians follow the government’s prescriptions, such as postponing all non-essential travel, following proper coughing and sneezing techniques, frequent hand washing and social distancing.

But Mulligan said Canadians should be aware of the potential negative health effects of self-isolating.

“Social isolation can also have significant health impacts. We know that people who are socially isolated have a 50 per cent higher risk of dying early,” Mulligan, who is also an associate professor with the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto.

“We don’t say that to alarm people…From research from other quarantines, for example, we know that people who have strong social networks are more likely to emerge from those quarantines with less risk of having experienced post-traumatic stress disorder, or other negative psychological health impacts.

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Federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu said when faced with a global pandemic, restricting travel is not effective — and could actually be detrimental.

“We see that in some of the countries who have the worst expression (of COVID-19), who had the tightest borders,” Hajdu said.

“(Italy) had, as you recall, some very early restrictions on international travel, in fact shutting down borders. And what they found was an escalation in cases because, of course, borders don’t stop travellers. And travellers find other ways into countries.”

Trudeau who is self-isolating after his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, tested positive for COVID-19, announced on Friday that Canada will discourage its citizens from travelling abroad, funnel international arrivals through a limited number of airports, and delay its cruise season. Borders, however, will remain open for the time being.

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