Fact Sheet

June 12, 2003

Quarantine Act and Regulations - SARS Amendment

What are the Quarantine Act and Quarantine Regulations?

The Quarantine Act and Regulations help protect Canadians from dangerous and infectious diseases which might pose a threat to public health through the international movement of people, goods and conveyances (airplanes, ships, vehicles etc.).

Under the Quarantine Act and Regulations, quarantine officers stationed at ports of entry and exit in Canada have the authority to ask a person suspected of having a disease listed in a schedule to the Act, or a dangerous disease, to undergo a medical examination and to detain that person if necessary.

Why are amendments to the Quarantine Act and Regulations being made now?

The Government of Canada is committed to vigilance and making every effort to prevent the further spread of SARS.

In May 2003, the World Health Organization (WHO) urged countries to take steps to enhance, support and strengthen national efforts to address the SARS outbreak.

The amendments to the Quarantine Act Regulations will further support the ability of the Government of Canada to screen persons coming into Canada or departing from Canada for SARS.

The Government of Canada's regulatory changes include the following:

• Adding SARS to the Quarantine Act's Schedule of infectious and contagious diseases. The list currently contains cholera, plague, smallpox and yellow fever.
• Amending the Regulations to prescribe an incubation period for SARS (20 days). Under the Quarantine Act, a quarantine officer is authorized to detain a person suspected of having SARS for a period not exceeding the prescribed incubation period.
• To date, no Health Canada quarantine officer has faced circumstances requiring the issuance of a quarantine order for SARS. Should such circumstances arise, however, Health Canada quarantine officers will take into account all relevant information including the WHO's recommended quarantine period, recently confirmed as 10 days. The Government of Canada's steps to amend the regulation are a precautionary measure.
• Adding a new section to the Quarantine Act to give quarantine officers the authority to compel airline carriers on relevant incoming and outgoing flights to distribute SARS health information and questionnaires to all persons on board before its arrival to or departure from Canada.
• Extending the list of airports where an aircraft arriving in Canada must report, before landing, cases of illness or death on board the aircraft. The revised list includes: Gander International, Goose Bay, St. John's International, Halifax International, Sydney, Montreal (Dorval & Mirabel), Quebec, Hamilton, Toronto Lester B. Pearson International, Ottawa McDonald-Cartier International, Windsor, London, Winnipeg International, Saskatoon, Regina, Edmonton International, Calgary International, Vancouver International, Victoria International and Kelowna.