Why $2,000 for a lodge quarantine? Your thoughts about Ottawa’s new travel regulations answered

© Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press
It really is unclear nonetheless when specifically air travellers landing in Canada will be necessary to consider a COVID-19 check and examine into a quarantine hotel.

Baffled about Ottawa’s rigid new principles designed to discourage vacation through the COVID-19 pandemic?

You’re not by yourself.

Just after the federal governing administration declared the new journey actions on Jan. 29, CBC Information was flooded with e-mails from Canadians wanting to know more — including how Ottawa arrived up with a $2,000 hotel quarantine bill.

So considerably, the federal government has available only broad particulars about the new rules, but it promises to provide far more info in the coming times.

This is what we know now.

Air passenger policies spelled out

Some of the government’s new journey measures are previously in place. On Jan. 31, Canada’s main airlines — in an settlement with Ottawa — cancelled all flights to Mexico and the Caribbean until finally April 30.

Many American airways continue to fly from Canada to all those places, but travellers will come upon at least one particular U.S. stopover alongside the way.

Canada’s airlines are still flying to the United States, due to the fact necessary workers require to travel amongst Canada and the U.S. during the pandemic, Transport Canada informed CBC News on Thursday.

Canada-sure travellers must give evidence of a damaging COVID-19 examination before boarding their flight, and all flights moving into the country are now staying funnelled into 4 main airports in Montreal, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver.

According to the federal government, most air travellers entering Canada will before long be essential to choose another COVID-19 exam on arrival and wait around for the success — up to a few days — in a designated hotel in their arrival town. Travellers who examination adverse can leave and finish the rest of their 14-working day quarantine at home. 

These with beneficial test effects will be essential to continue to be at a designated govt facility. 

What about the price tag?

Travellers will be billed for their lodge keep, and Ottawa has suggested the price tag could be about $2,000. It truly is unclear if two men and women sharing a area would have to pay out double that total.

Lots of individuals have questioned how a 3-day remain in a hotel could total $2,000. The authorities states the quantity would also include connected charges, such as the expense of the take a look at, transportation, meals, hotel protection and cleaning. 

“It is not just just the expense of a lodge area,” General public Security Minister Bill Blair claimed on Jan. 29.

He stated travellers should not balk at the price tag.

“We feel that if they’re likely to make that decision [to travel], that they must bear the whole charge and accountability of all the actions that are important to continue to keep Canadians safe and sound.”

Any exceptions to the rule?

The govt has said that there will be “constrained exceptions” to the resort quarantine prerequisite, but it hasn’t but laid out who will be exempt. At a information meeting on Tuesday, Primary Minister Justin Trudeau advised that there could be some wiggle room for intense cases.

“Certainly, there may well be individual compassionate or humanitarian exceptions that ought to be built in given situations, and we are going to appear at these,” he said.

Some snowbirds who have previously gained the COVID-19 vaccine in Florida have asked CBC Information if they are going to be exempt from the hotel quarantine prerequisite.

Ottawa claims no, at the very least not at this time.

Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief general public well being officer, said on Friday that it’s unclear if vaccinated persons can nonetheless get the virus with out developing symptoms and then infect others.

“The scientific theory underpinning the software of vaccines for international travel are unable to be produced at this time, for the reason that we do not know if the vaccines minimize transmission,” she told CBC Information.

When will the hotel quarantine rule get outcome?

The commence day is continue to up in the air. 

Transport Minister Omar Alghabra proposed last Sunday that air passengers could be ushered into motels as early as Feb. 4.

But on Feb. 2, Trudeau indicated that it could be weeks before the hotel quarantine need takes impact.

“We hope to have that executed in the month — weeks to occur,” he stated in French at a information convention. “People today are performing extremely tricky to make a method so that it is established in advance of individuals start off travelling for the March crack.”

What comes about if I refuse to comply?

In a news release saying the new journey steps, the federal government also laid out the fines for breaking the country’s quarantine requirement. Violators could confront critical penalties, like 6 months in jail and/or up to $750,000 in fines. 

What about the land border?

Because the Canada-U.S. land border is closed to non-critical website traffic, most of the persons currently crossing into Canada by land are essential personnel who are exempt from quarantine.

But some snowbirds who flew to U.S. sunbelt states this winter season delivered their cars and trucks across the border and prepare to push back again property.

At this position, the hotel quarantine rule won’t implement to travellers crossing into Canada by land. But the government has indicated it can be doing the job on harder procedures at the land border, these kinds of as a COVID-19 check requirement for non-essential travellers.

“We’re also wanting at techniques to more bolster our land border actions,” Trudeau explained on Friday. “We will have a lot more to announce on this shortly.”