Canada faces calls to remove ArriveCan app to reduce travel disruptions

The Government of Canada is reportedly under increasing pressure to retire its ArriveCan app and deploy additional staff to major airports across the country to reduce flight delays and cancellations as well as other travel disruptions.

The app was designed to allow travelers to report their Covid-19 vaccination status as well as a quarantine plan if they are affected by the virus, reported The Canadian Press.

However, the app is now being accused by some of creating chaos at airports because it takes longer to fill out forms.

Canada Customs and Immigration Union President Mark Weber attributed the continued chaos at airports to an overreliance on technology and the ArriveCan app, in addition to a lack of staff at airports. First line.

Weber was quoted by the news agency as saying, “What we’re seeing, particularly on the customs side, are very long delays for travelers to clear customs when entering the country.”

He further noted that the government is expected to hire 2,000 to 3,000 frontline staff to manage various entry points across the country.

Questions on ArriveCan should also be streamlined to speed things up. Additionally, the app should have a user-friendly interface for people who are not tech-savvy, he said.

Conservative transport critic Melissa Lantsman said: ‘Conservatives continue to call for a return to pre-pandemic travel rules and staffing levels to help alleviate the delays and disarray we continue to see at airports across Canada, including ending the mandatory use of the ArriveCan app.

However, Alexander Cohen, spokesman for Canada’s Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino, said the app allows people to travel smoothly.

This office currently handles the operations of ArriveCan, which allows travelers to digitally submit their information before entering the country.

Cohen was quoted by The Canadian Press as saying, “Global travel volumes are up more than 700% since their low point during the pandemic, and airports around the world are feeling the impact. From too many flights to not enough staff, there’s no single reason for these delays – but the ArriveCan app isn’t a major factor.