Some international students inhibited by travel complications as Fall semester approaches
Heading back to school can be an exciting time for many students, but changes in travel restrictions due to COVID-19 may mean missing the start of class for some international students.
McGill student Shachin Dev, who is from India, has worked remotely on his PhD in medical physics since January, but says the nine and a half hour time difference is proving challenging.
“I was supposed to do experiments which I am totally missing. We are right now focusing on things we can do remotely,” he said. “In that way it's a kind of loss to my studies — if I had been there things would be better.
Dev wanted to start this semester in Montreal, but Canada again extended the ban on direct flights from India until Sept. 21, forcing Dev to re-book again.
Dev is now in Serbia, a country that has a visa on arrival for Indian nationals. Though fully vaccinated, he's quarantining before boarding a flight to Montreal via Frankfurt.
Frustrated with the ever changing rules, Dev hopes Canada relaxes measures for students.
“Canada is allowing US citizens [in] for non-essential [reasons],” he said, adding that double-vaccinated students from India are prohibited from entering even when it’s for “essential purposes.”
Canada imposed the ban on India because of the Delta variant that was ravaging that country last spring.
But experts say the focus should be on who is coming in: those who are fully vaccinated and test negative.
“If you wanted to reduce the chances or speed by which that variant is imported to Canada, then a direct ban when there was no or little Delta in Canada might have made sense,” said infectious diseases expert Dr. Matthew Oughton, “but that horse has left the barn, and to continue that ban now doesn't make a lot of sense.”
The federal government told CTV the ban on direct flights allows travellers to be tested for COVID once they've left a high risk country, reducing the risk of contracting the virus between receiving the test and boarding a flight to Canada.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Expert warns of food consumption habits amid rising prices
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
Documents reveal Ottawa's efforts to get Loblaw, Walmart on board with grocery code
It was evident to the federal government as early as last fall that Loblaw and Walmart might be holdouts to the grocery code of conduct, jeopardizing the project's success.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Improve balance and build core strength with this exercise
When it comes to cardiovascular fitness, you may tend to focus on activities that move you forward, such as walking, running and cycling.
'I just want to be safe': Ukrainian man in Canada faces limbo amid consular freeze
A recent decision to restrict consular services for fighting-aged Ukrainian men has made a Ukrainian man in Canada feel less certain of his next steps — and worried he could be pulled back to the war.
B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
Dozens of U.S. deaths reveal risks of injecting sedatives into people restrained by police
The practice of giving sedatives to people detained by police has spread quietly across the U.S. over the last 15 years, built on questionable science and backed by police-aligned experts, an investigation led by The Associated Press has found.