Canada's travel bans run counter to the science
The recent travel bans imposed by the Canadian government on foreign travellers from a handful of African countries are discriminatory and do not support evidence-based policy
Munesuishe (Mune) Mafusire is a graduate student at the Max Bell School of Public Policy and a Zimbabwean national, and he has lived in over six countries. Mune has a keen interest in the complexities of the policy-process for African countries, whether in local or global contexts. His recent work includes leading policy project on inclusive trade in the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
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CANADA’S PRE-EMPTIVE, BLANKET TRAVEL MEASURES DISREGARD THE EVIDENCE AND EFFICACY OF TRAVEL BANS. As stated by Canada’s top ambassador to the United Nations, the COVID-19 “virus has no nationality, ethnicity or race,” and banning travel from specific countries will not prevent the transmissibility of the virus. It is shameful that the Canadian government, which prides itself on evidence-based policymaking, would take such drastic measures.
On November 26th, 2021, Canada imposed blanket travel bans on foreign citizens arriving from the following seven Southern African countries: South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, and Eswatini. These restrictions came in response to South African scientists’ effective genomic sequencing, the result of which was the discovery of the COVID-19 Omicron variant. It has since been established that Omicron had been circulating in Europe prior to its arrival in South Africa.
While the Omicron variant is certainly concerning, the Canadian government’s response should be grounded in evidence. Public health researchers have noted that travel bans are ineffective unless it is a total ban on all travellers. It is also clear that such restrictions do more harm than good, as they disrupt supply chains that support the transportation of pandemic-related resources.
The uproar from the Southern African nations who have been singled out by Canada’s travel bans is both fair and reasonable. Despite their own detection of the Omicron variant, countries such as the Netherlands, Israel, and Belgium have not seen their travellers banned from Canada. This raises questions about the Canadian government’s inconsistent application of rules, and about how it discriminates against Southern African countries. For example, South Africa is averaging 20,000 daily COVID-19 cases, whereas the UK and Germany are averaging at 50,000 and 60,000 daily cases, respectively.
The epidemiological situation in Europe is particularly concerning. With that in mind, it is puzzling to both public health experts and to laypersons as to why European countries are not facing the same restrictions as Southern African countries. McGill’s acclaimed epidemiologist, Dr. Madhukar Pai, has described Canada’s bans as “unjust and nonsensical” and “theatrical.”
What’s more, Canada’s travel restrictions contravene international law as per the International Health Regulations (IHR), which came into force in 2005 and governs 196 countries. As one of the signatories, Canada is legally bound by this aspect of international hard law, which seeks to mitigate the global spread of the virus and to coordinate public health measures internationally.
Under Article 43.1 of the IHR, countries “shall not be more restrictive of international traffic and not more invasive or intrusive to persons than reasonably available alternatives that would achieve the appropriate level of health protection.” Essentially, Article 43 of IHR restricts countries from acting arbitrarily amidst a global outbreak, especially if alternative policy measures exist.
Canada’s recent bans were imposed prematurely without sufficient evidence. While the Canadian government may defend its actions as precautionary measures, they go against the guidance of the WHO and the IHR. Such a haphazard approach to imposing travel bans has grave consequences, as it disincentivizes countries from reporting the emergence of new variants for fear of reprisal in the form of blanket bans. Because the spread of COVID-19 must be prevented through global collaboration, countries that act out of self-interest will jeopardize global health security.
In response to the dismal global preparedness and response to COVID-19, a group of 61 countries have expressed an interest in establishing a “pandemic treaty.” This would complement the IHR by providing “universal and equitable access to safe, efficacious and affordable vaccines, medicines and diagnostics for this and future pandemics.” Such a treaty would have allowed the Global South countries to make demands and would have provided them with a forum to articulate their frustrations about the discriminatory approach to COVID-19 travel bans. Importantly, any forward-looking treaty should focus on enforcement mechanisms - which the IHR presently lacks.
The blanket travel bans on Southern African countries will most certainly affect Canada’s future engagements with the African continent. Justin Trudeau’s government seems hell-bent on eroding Canada’s international clout as it aggressively engaged in vaccine nationalism by purchasing 400 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines for a population of 38 million. The additional travel measures adopted by the government are irreconcilable with the existing evidence on Omicron. Beyond the legal implications of the travel ban, Canada’s disproportionate focus on Southern African countries stigmatizes the entire region, disrupts supply chains of critical health supplies, and stifles a coordinated global response.
The Canadian government should course-correct, and demonstrate global leadership by moving promptly on the “pandemic treaty.” Doing so would ensure global preparedness for the next pandemic - and there will certainly be a next one.
The Bell will be taking a break for the holidays.
From the entire editorial team, we wish you a happy and healthy holiday season and all the best in the New Year. See you in 2022!
The Bell is edited by Jaclyn Victor, Jason Kreutz, Shweta Menon and Phaedra de Saint-Rome of the Max Bell School of Public Policy at McGill University.