Couple on way home unhappy with mixed signals
Couple frustrated with misinformation as they get ready for drive back to Canada
Sitting by a pool in sunny Yuma, Ariz., Denis Pilon says he and his wife feel fortunate their resort hasn’t had an outbreak of COVID-19, but they realize the time has come to return home.
“Are we concerned? Probably not as much as the people back home are concerned for us,” Pilon said during a phone interview Tuesday.
Pilon and wife Laura are Regina residents who are spending their second winter in Arizona. Denis is retired, and previously worked as fire chief of Swift Current’s fire department. The couple drove down to Texas in January with their camper trailer, then made their way to Yuma in February.
While there have been no cases of COVID -19 at their resort, social distancing measures have put a stop to many activities.
They will start making the fourday drive back home on Thursday.
Snowbirds hoping to return home by plane will have a bigger challenge to face. Westjet announced this week that it is temporarily suspending all international flights for the next 30 days.
There are currently no confirmed cases of COVID -19 in Yuma, but both the U.S. and Arizona have declared a state of emergency. While the Pilons haven’t been directly affected by the outbreak, they have had to face challenging grocery shopping conditions. Panic buying has hit their area.
“The shopping is horrible down here. This area’s one of the worst for toilet paper, you can’t get it. It’s just disappearing off the shelves all over Arizona for some ungodly reason,” said Denis.
Denis’s biggest fear has been if a COVID-19 outbreak happened at their resort that they would be forced to go into lockdown.
“We’re better off to hit the road. Let’s go home,” said Pilon.
Another source of frustration for Denis has been misinformation spreading concerning what the Canadian government has announced concerning borders. On Wednesday, it was announced the Canada-u.s. border will close to all non-essential travel. Canadian citizens are still encouraged to return to the country.
Denis said he’s continually heard from others who are under the false impression that the border has been fully closed, or that Canadians are under a deadline to return home.
Denis said he and his wife are fortunate to have travel insurance that covers COVID-19. Other’s aren’t so lucky. The Canadian Snowbird Association said in a statement that it has confirmed several insurance companies are giving holders 10 days to return to Canada before all coverage ceases.
When they return, the Pilons will need to self-quarantine for 14 days.
Despite everything, the Pilons are keeping calm. “We’re chilled out. We’re sitting back enjoying it, but we’re getting frustrated with all the misinformation. That’s the problem.”