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Canada fines two air passengers for false COVID-19 tests – Metro US

Canada fines two air passengers for false COVID-19 tests

FILE PHOTO: An empty terminal 3, amid a spike in
FILE PHOTO: An empty terminal 3, amid a spike in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases, at Pearson airport

MONTREAL (Reuters) – Canada has fined two passengers for presenting a false or misleading COVID-19 test before boarding a flight to the country, the first time travelers have been hit since the introduction in January of mandatory pre-departure negative tests, the Canadian transport regulator said on Thursday.

One of the passengers was fined C$10,000 ($7,871) while the other was fined C$7,000 for falsifying the COVID-19 test when they traveled from Mexico on January 23, Transport Canada said in a statement.

The travelers also made a false declaration about their health status before boarding a flight to Canada, after having tested positive for novel coronavirus a few days before the flight, the regulator said.

More countries, like Canada, are introducing mandatory COVID-19 test requirements for travelers. Canada already has some of the toughest travel rules in the world aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus, including a mandatory 14-day quarantine.

($1 = 1.2705 Canadian dollars)

(Reporting By Allison Lampert in Montreal. Editing by Jane Merriman)