Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and members of the committee. Thank you very much for the invitation to be here with you today. I'm pleased to have my colleague Mr. Denis Vinette, the agency's vice-president of our travellers branch, here with me.
As this committee is aware, the CBSA is the first point of contact for inbound international travellers and therefore plays an important front-line role in preliminary health screening at the border. Under the Quarantine Act, border services officers are designated as screening officers, and as part of its normal day-to-day operations the CBSA has standard border measures in place to screen travellers for signs of communicable diseases subject to quarantine.
From the outset of reports of the 2019 novel coronavirus, Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada have worked closely with the CBSA to provide advice and guidance on additional border measures to prevent its spread, including specific instructions on the processing of travellers suspected of being ill and on ensuring the health and safety of our front-line officers.
I'll just take a few moments, Mr. Chair, to walk through those enhanced border measures.
First, I would emphasize that specific signage has been placed in the Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto international airports to advise travellers that if they were in the province of Hubei, China, they may have come in contact with the novel coronavirus. The signs outline the symptoms of the virus and instruct travellers that if they feel sick upon their arrival they are to advise a CBSA officer, who will refer them at the airport to a Public Health Agency of Canada officer. In addition, the signage states that if they become ill after leaving the airport, they should contact a local health care provider. The signs are posted in English, French and simplified Chinese.
Another measure, implemented on January 22, was that international travellers arriving at the Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto international airports were asked an additional health screening question to identify individuals who had travelled from Wuhan, China. On January 29, this screening question was expanded to identify any travellers who may have been in the province of Hubei, China.
Between January 22 and February 2, a total of 791 travellers responded that they had been to Hubei province, and they were subject to additional questioning and screening by the CBSA. Out of those 791 travellers, the CBSA has referred 18 individuals, who indicated that they felt ill or who were visibly ill, to a PHAC officer for further screening.
When an officer identifies an ill traveller, the individual will be provided with a mask to wear and will be asked to use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. The health referral to a PHAC quarantine officer takes precedence over immigration, customs, or food, plant and animal processing. It is only once that traveller is cleared by PHAC that the individual would be processed for immigration and customs concerns, in accordance with existing procedures.
Just last Saturday, two days ago, the CBSA expanded these enhanced screening procedures and is in the process of ensuring that all the signs are posted to the following airports: Edmonton; Winnipeg; Calgary; Ottawa; Billy Bishop in Toronto; Quebec City; and Halifax. Over the weekend, at the additional locations, 37 individuals responded positively to the health screening question, that they had come from Hubei province. All travellers who have been in the province of Hubei but do not feel ill are being provided an information sheet advising them what to do if they become ill following their arrival in Canada.
In addition to being focused on processing all arriving passengers, we are also focused, Mr. Chair, on the health and safety of our officers on the front lines. The CBSA is working with Health Canada and PHAC, as well as the Customs and Immigration Union and airport authorities, to provide the latest information to our officers.
At this time, Health Canada has recommended that CBSA officers handling documents and baggage of potentially ill persons wear gloves, as is already part of CBSA's best practices. Should a situation arise where an officer must be in close proximity to a potentially infected traveller for a prolonged period of time, such as escorting the traveller or remaining with them, the officer is to wear gloves, a mask, and eye and face protection.
Various airport authorities have added their own additional measures to ensure that the airport environment and equipment remain clean. They are increasing the frequency of disinfecting the electronic kiosks and common spaces and surfaces, in addition to increasing the installation of hand sanitizers. The CBSA is also using a specialized cleaning solution to sanitize frequently touched areas in the CBSA hall and the arrival areas.
We continue to work closely with Health Canada experts to apply the appropriate measures, including the examination of standard operating procedures for dealing with travellers who may exhibit symptoms of illness. Health screening on entry to Canada is an important public health tool and a key component of this multi-layered government response strategy.
For these reasons, Mr. Chair, as you can expect, the CBSA is working closely with PHAC, Global Affairs Canada and others on the assisted departure of Canadians from Wuhan, China. Our role will be to have officers on the ground to verify the identities and documents of those eligible to depart. Once cleared, they will be logged onto a flight manifest. Upon their arrival in Canada, health screening by PHAC will take precedence, prior to CBSA examination and clearance.
Our officers, Mr. Chair and members of the committee, stand ready, equipped with the tools they need to assist the government in this overall approach to the novel coronavirus.
Thank you for your time. I look forward to the discussion and questions.