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Acton, ON L7J 2Y5 519-853-1300 www.dentistryonsinclair.com On the advice of Dr. Theresa Tam, Can- ada's chief public health officer, the gov- ernment is also asking everyone to cancel gatherings of more than 50 people, Health Minister Patty Hajdu said. The request came just days after Otta- wa made an extraordinarily appeal on the eve of March break for all Canadians to stay within the country's borders. That ad- visory -- to avoid all "non-essential" travel -- stands. Bottom line: The government says you should work from home if you can, don't fly off outside Canada unless you absolute- ly have to, and keep washing your hands and avoiding close contact with others. Who is barred entering from Canada? Proclaiming it's time for "increasingly aggressive" action, Trudeau announced Canada will close its border to everyone except Canadian citizens, permanent resi- dents and Americans. Other federal ministers later clarified that this restriction will start on Wednes- day at noon. It won't apply to diplomats, people transiting through Canada, work- ers delivering essential services, and citi- zens' immediate families. On top of that, Transport Minister Marc Garneau has ordered all airlines flying in- to Canada to screen and prevent any pas- senger with symptoms of COVID-19 from boarding. As Trudeau put it, "anyone who has symptoms will not be able to come to Canada." That includes Canadians with symp- toms in other countries. The Prime Minis- ter's Office said Monday evening that Otta- wa will create an emergency loan program to help Canadians get home or cover "life- sustaining needs" while they remain abroad during the pandemic. Canadians barred because of symptoms will need a medical certificate proving they're no longer symptomatic before they can fly home, Garneau's office told the Star. This restriction only applies to interna- tional flights into Canada, and not border crossings on land. Canadians with symp- toms who drive back from the U.S. will be referred to public health officials, the PMO said. Trudeau urged all Canadians abroad to return as soon as possible. "It's time for you to come home," he said. Why aren't Americans barred like ev- eryone else? Trudeau and his top ministers were asked this repeatedly on Monday, and their answers basically boiled down to this: the U.S. is special. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Free- land said Canada's supplies of food and other essential goods relies the open flow of goods across the Canada-U.S. border. Freeland denied that the decision to leave the border open to Americans was made under pressure from the U.S. government; she said detailed work needs to be done with businesses, unions, provinces and American leaders to ensure essential trade isn't shut down. "It is a dense and close relationship, and measures that we take there will be care- fully thought through," Freeland said. "Food supply in Canada is very closely connected with the U.S. economy, and the U.S. food supply is connected with green- houses across Canada. So we need to act with great care and deliberation, and we will," she said. Are these new measures strict enough? Perhaps not. Kevin Smith, president and chief executive of Toronto's Universi- ty Health Network, said the exemption for American travellers brings up the biggest questions about Canada's response. "How does one not include our Ameri- can colleagues in that travel ban when we know there is so much burden of illness in the States?" Smith asked. He said if people are allowed to travel across the border, Canada should institute a "mandatory" 14-day isolation period for people entering the country. At the mo- ment, people arriving in Canada without symptoms are being asked to acknowledge that advice -- they're not forced to follow it. "Again, we have a very limited window and it is closing fast on containing the vi- rus," Smith said. "I'm very sympathetic that (Trudeau) has a different lens he has to look through than we do. But what does the best evi- dence suggest we do? Go further, and do it fast." Trudeau did not rule out doing just that on Monday, stressing -- as he has for weeks now -- that Ottawa will do whatev- er it takes to protect Canadians from the virus. He didn't rule out barring Ameri- cans from Canada at some point either. "We're not closing the door to any mea- sures," he said in French. With files from Megan Ogilvie Continued from page 22 Airplanes at Toronto Pearson International Airport. Andrew Francis Wallace/Toronto Star