President’s Message Karen Huestis CSA President With our shared border with the United States remaining closed to non-essential travel and despite the ongoing concerns presented by COVID-19, Canadians are slowly starting to travel again. Leisure travel within Canada is already on the upswing, as interprovincial barriers are increasingly scaled back. Domestic business trips are expected to increase as early as September, followed quickly by international leisure and business travel. It is our belief that our border with the United States will open again to leisure travel towards the end of the summer. WestJet announced on June 15 that it will allow operations to 45 destinations, including 39 in Canada, five in the U.S. and one in Mexico, which represents an increase of approximately 102 per cent more flights than in June. Air Canada is flying to 97 destinations this summer across Canada, in the U.S. and internationally. Despite the planned increase in air travel, there will be some significant adjustments in order to increase safety while travelling. A number of enhanced safety measures are already in place in airports across Canada. Measures already enacted include mandated face coverings (non-medical masks) for air travellers both in flight and in most airports, health screening questions at check-in and the use of hospital-grade disinfectant in all high-touch areas. The Government of Canada will also now require temperature checks for all passengers travelling to Canada, or travellers departing from Canadian airports for either international or domestic destinations. The government is taking a phased approach to implementing temperature screening and has indicated that the system will be fully functional by September 2020. If you are planning to drive to your winter homes or planning a trip this summer, your car is one of the safest places you can be, at least from an infection standpoint. Obviously, you have more control over the route which you take to your destination, who you share the car with, disinfectionmethods, where you stop and when you return. When planning a hotel stay, do your research on the internet before you depart. More and more hotels now allow you to check in online and use your phone as your electronic room key. Many U.S. hotels are following the American Hotel and Lodging Association’s Safe Stay guidelines. These guidelines include enhanced cleaning throughout the hotel, including guest rooms, meeting spaces and common areas. These hotels use cleaning products with a greater concentration of bacteria-killing ingredients and maintain strict social distancing practices. You can access more information about these new hotel industry safety guidelines at: www.ahla. com/SafeStay. Thank you to all of you who have taken the time to renew your CSAmembership. If you have yet to do so, please take a moment to renew by mailing us your renewal notice or visiting our website at www.snowbirds.org. You can also call the office in Toronto, which continues to operate remotely until Ontario emergency measures are lifted. Thanks, also, to everyone who made a donation to our Special Action Fund. Every dollar donated to the fund is held in a separate account and is used exclusively to fund our government advocacy efforts. We often find ourselves having to react quickly to emerging issues on the political front and that’s when the Special Action Fund is an invaluable resource. If you have yet to do so, please consider making a donation. No amount is too small and this fund really does play an integral role in allowing us to continue to advocate on your behalf. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Medipac and the Canadian Snowbird Association have been forced to cancel all of our fall and winter shows until further notice. Most jurisdictions still have strict guidelines in place that prevent large gatherings and the Centers for Disease Control states that these gatherings currently pose a higher risk for COVID-19 transmission. As always, we will be monitoring this situation closely and will keep you updated in a timely fashion. At the end of the day, the health and safety of our members is our number-one priority. For those travelling, the key to staying safe in our winter homes shouldn’t be that different from the protocols which we observe here in Canada: maintaining a two-metre distance from those whomwe don’t live with; wearing face coverings; avoiding touching your face, frequent hand washing; and disinfecting high-touch surfaces. Consistent observation of these protocols will increase the level of safety for both you and others wherever you may be. If you’re feeling anxious or have any questions about any of these new adjustments we are dealing with, please do not hesitate to contact us…we are here to help you navigate these waters. Bill and I wish you a safe and relaxing summer. 12 | www.snowbirds.org
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