Passengers on flight from Toronto warned of potential COVID-19 exposure

The Nova Scotia Health Authority is warning passengers who travelled on a flight from Toronto to Halifax on Friday, June 26 that they may have been exposed to COVID-19. 

NSHA Public Health published an advisory Wednesday morning warning travellers of potential exposure to COVID-19 on Air Canada flight AC 626, which departed Toronto at 8:15 p.m. and landed in Halifax at 11:17 p.m.

NSHA advising of potential COVID-19 exposure on flight from Toronto to Halifax https://t.co/uwVmVWDoLD pic.twitter.com/76myDYl9sa

— NS Health Authority (@HealthNS) July 8, 2020

"While anyone on the flight could have been exposed, based on Public Health's investigation to date, passengers in rows 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 seats A to C are more likely to have had close contact," notes the advisory. "Passengers in these seats are asked to call 811 for advice."

The public health agency says they're also directly contacting anyone else known to be a close contact of the person(s) confirmed to have the virus.

Based on the date of the flight, NSHA says anyone exposed to the virus on the flight may develop symptoms up to, and including July 10.

Passengers who were onboard the flight are being asked to self-monitor for potential symptoms of COVID-19, including fever (chills, sweats, etc.), cough (new or worsening), sore throat, headache, shortness of breath, muscle aches, sneezing, nasal congestion or runny nose, hoarse voice, diarrhea, unusual fatigue, loss of sense of smell or taste, and red, purple or blueish lesions, on the feet, toes or fingers without a clear cause. 

The public health agency is also taking this opportunity to remind people that anyone travelling to Nova Scotia from outside of the Atlantic provinces is expected to self-isolate for 14 days after arriving, and anyone who experiences COVID-19 symptoms while in the province is asked to call 811 for assessment and identify that they were on this flight. 

Meanwhile, this is the second time in two weeks that there has been potential COVID-19 exposure on a flight from Toronto to Halifax. 

On July 1, NSHA issued a similar advisory warning of exposure on a  WestJet flight that also flew from Ontario to Nova Scotia on Friday, June 26.