Skeena- Bulkley Valley MP Taylor Bachrach says the new travel restrictions have left residents with a lot of questions.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced last week that Canadian airlines and the Federal Government are cancelling flights to sun destinations until April.
Meanwhile, passengers who arrive from overseas will have to take a COVID-19 test at the airport and quarantine for three days at a hotel, at their own expense, while waiting for test results.
According to Bachrach, among the concerns is why flights are not being restricted from countries that are a COVID-19 hotspot and non-Canadian airlines arriving into the airports from these destinations.
He said Canadians have the right to be concerned about the restrictions because of the different loopholes.
“There are a lot of questions about whether these efforts are going to be effective because of all the gaps and a host of loopholes in these rules,” he said.
He added that the overall reaction of the restrictions are that they are late in the game, slow to be implemented and that residents want clear rules from the government.
“What we’re seeing is a patchwork approach and a lot of vague advisories instead of restrictions and I don’t think that’s a recipe for success,” Bachrach said.
Meanwhile, earlier in the pandemic Bachrach submitted a call to the Federal Government regarding ticket refunds for residents who had to cancel their flights at the start of the pandemic.
He said there has been no update regarding when or if airline passengers will be receiving refunds.
Bachrach added the Federal Government has been in talks with airline companies regarding a financial support package.
“We have no idea where those talks are at, at this point but we know there are thousands of Canadians who are out in some cases three or five thousand dollars,” he said.
Something going on in the Bulkley Valley Lakes District you think people should know about?
Send us a news tip by emailing pgnews@vistaradio.ca.
