MONTREAL — Starting today, Sept. 3, international ********** travellers arriving at Toronto-Pearson Terminal 1 can take part in **********’s new voluntary ******** testing initiative.

In cooperation with McMaster HealthLabs (MHL) and the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), the study is on a strictly voluntary basis after providing informed consent.

******** Testing In Partnership With McMaster HealthLabs And The GTAA from ********** on Vimeo.

Consenting passengers will provide a sample to MHL researchers before leaving the airport and supply two additional samples that will be self-collected seven and 14 days after arrival, coinciding with the federal government’s quarantine period.

News of the new initiative first broke last week. Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam was asked at a Public Health Agency of Canada press conference on Aug. 28 if she was aware of the initiative. Tam said she was, adding she’s interested in the results. However at that time she said “a negative [test] result will not excuse you from [the mandatory 14-day] quarantine.”

Canada’s mandatory 14-day quarantine for all returning and arriving passengers, in place since mid-March, has been extended to Sept. 30.

MHL will have samples analyzed for ******** at the Research Institute of St. Joe’s Hamilton using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing.

Participants will be notified electronically of the first results within 48 hours. Data collected will remain confidential and will be anonymously aggregated for the purpose of the study.

An independent data analysis will be conducted at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto under the supervision of the Principal Investigators who will have responsibility for publishing the results in peer reviewed journals and for supporting MHL in broadly sharing the study’s findings.

“********** has advocated for the adoption of rational, science-based measures in Canada relating to ********, to allow for the prudent easing of travel restrictions and the mandatory 14-day quarantine, thereby striking a better balance for travellers and for the Canadian economy without adversely impacting public health,” said Dr. Jim Chung, Chief Medical Officer at **********. “We are pleased to co-sponsor this extremely important study, which we believe should provide alternatives to the current blanket restrictions and quarantine.”

Chung adds: ”********** believes that issues arising from ******** related to travel can be safely managed using a science-based approach.  The study performed by MHL, whose team has years of infectious ******* academic research experience, should improve the understanding of the prevalence of ******** among travellers so that safety measures implemented are proportionate to the actual risk.”

John Gilmour, MHL’s CEO, says MHL’s team of scientists and doctors from McMaster University, the Research Institute of St. Joseph’s Hamilton, and other Canadian universities and research organizations, generates scientific ******** data to keep Canadians safe and to support a strong economy. “Our study will provide data to help determine if an airport-based ******** surveillance program is feasible, whether self-collection of ******** testing is effective, and to explore options regarding the 14-day quarantine for international travel. The leadership of ********** and the GTAA in supporting ******** research serves as a model for other organizations looking to make evidence-based decisions.”

********** was among the first carriers globally to require customer face coverings onboard and the first ******* in the Americas to take customers’ temperatures prior to boarding. ********** CleanCare+ applies industry leading biosafety measures at each stage of the journey. ********** is also active in the #TimeToTravel initiative.

“The Greater Toronto Airports Authority is committed to a science-based approach that prioritizes the health and wellbeing of passengers and airport workers. That starts with the collection and analysis of data, led by McMaster HealthLabs through their travel study,” said Deborah Flint, President and CEO, GTAA. “We are pleased to partner with ********** in this critically important work and welcome the opportunity to work collaboratively with the Government of Canada on this and other initiatives to support the safe resumption of international travel.”

The month-long research project has been designed and will be conducted by MHL in accordance with research ethics board-approved scientific protocols. The study will be the largest of its kind and will seek to examine the number and percentage of arriving international travellers who test positive for ******** during the federal government’s quarantine period.

********** says the findings of the study may be useful to the Government of Canada in its decision-making to control the spread of ******** and in exploring policy options. **********, as the largest Canadian ******* operating out of Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, is providing resources and support for the study.