pearson covid

A border security officer at the Toronto airport just tested positive for coronavirus

As residents cancel their travel plans and become increasingly wary of the COVID-19 screening measures (or lack thereof) that Canadian airports currently have in place, a border officer at Toronto Pearson International Airport has been diagnosed with the communicable disease.

A spokesperson for the Canada Border Services Agency told the CBC that the employee is currently recovering in self-isolation, but it is not known when or where they first became infected.

Staff and others who may have been exposed to the patient while they were contagious are being contacted and are being asked to watch for flu-like symptoms. They may also be asked to self-quarantine.

Pearson has just announced enhanced measures to screen and inform those coming into the country amid the global pandemic, while Canadians await Prime Minister Trudeau's official update about new rules for international travel, due at a press conference this afternoon at 1 p.m.

There have so far been 345 cases of the 2019 novel coronavirus diagnosed in Canada, and schools, major attractions, libraries and more are shuttering across the country to help curb community spread.

Lead photo by

Sai Kit Chu


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