HETools_BriefingNote_EN

1 Capstone Project- Policy Change Proposal Briefing Note HCA 113 – Policy in Healthcare Healthcare Leadership – Sault College

Issue:  Economic and social impacts of Quarantine Act in Canada.  How can the Government of Canada mitigate the adverse effects of the Quarantine Act on the well-being, mental health, and livelihoods, of travelers along with their families? Background:  The Quarantine Act, a federal law, designed in 1872 and replaced by the current version in 2005 prevents the spread of contagious communicable diseases in Canada, by empowering the government to isolate and quarantine the individuals to safeguard public health (Hawthorn, 2020).  It has been used over the years in many health emergencies, including the SARS epidemic (2003) and the H1N1 pandemic (2009) (Hawthorn, 2020).  The current scenario arose owing to the COVID-19 epidemic. To curb the spread of the virus, the government put the act in use by imposing mandatory quarantines on international travelers entering Canada (Pongou et al., 2022).  The policy’s social and economic repercussion on travelers includes stress, loneliness, anxiety, despair, and financial challenges (Pongou et al., 2022). Current Status:  As of the present time, the Quarantine Act remains effective by the order enforcement of Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA), the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). It requires travelers to undergo the obligatory quarantine upon entry in the country (Hawthorn, 2020).  Since the travelers face stringent isolation measures which results in emotional and mental difficulties as well as results in notable financial impact as the travelers may lose their earnings, suffer unforeseen expenditures, may miss out on their educational and employment opportunities while quarantined (Hawthorn, 2020). The Evidence:  Various studies and reports have depicted the social and economic impact of quarantine measures on travelers and on their families.  Mental Health Impact : World Health Organization research indicated stringent quarantine measures and preventions can result in psychological distress including anxiety, symptoms of depression, and post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) amongst isolated individuals (World Health Organization, 2020).  Financial Repercussion : Dickens et al., (2020) study stated that quarantine measures lead to significant economic load on travelers incurring from loss of income/job, accommodation, transportation, testing and treatments.  Community evidence : The CBC news reported various interviews and stories where travelers were denied entry in Canada and restrained them from meeting their dying relatives and kins, few had to pay thousands of dollars for their quarantined stay in hotels post their humanitarian mission return and many were separated from their loved ones which led to disastrous emotional impacts (Government of Canada, 2021).

Dickens, B., Koo, J., Lim, J., Sun, H., Clapham, H., S. Wilder-Smith, A., & Cook, A. (2020). Strategies at points of entry to reduce importation risk of COVID-19 cases and reopen travel. Journal of Travel Medicine 27 (8). https://doi.org/10.1093/jtm/taaa141 Government of Canada. (2021, January 16). Minimizing the Risk of Exposure to COVID-19 in Canada Order (Quarantine, Isolation and Other Obligations) . Canada Gazette, Part 1, Volume 155, Number 3: ORDERS IN COUNCIL Harthorn, T. (2020). Quarantine Act . The Canadian Encyclopedia. https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/quarantine-act Pongou. R., Ahinkorah. B., Maltais. S., Mabeu. M., Agarwal. A., & Yaya. S. (2022). Psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. National Library of Medicine, 17 (11). Doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0277238 World Health Organization. (2020, March 18). Mental health and psychosocial considerations during the COVID-19 outbreak . https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/331490/WHO-2019-nCoV-MentalHealth-2020.1-eng.pdf? sequence=1