Incoming travellers positive for COVID-19 will be sent to facility
Prime minister announces new travel restrictions
OTTAWA — Travellers coming into Canada will be forced into a mandatory hotel quarantine as the government is increasingly concerned about the risk of new COVID variants that appear to be more transmissible and more deadly.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the new quarantines as part of a suite of new travel restrictions on Friday morning.
Trudeau said travellers will pay for their hotel stays while waiting for a negative COVID test.
“Travellers will then have to wait for up to three days at an approved hotel for their test results at their own expense, which is expected to be more than $2,000,” he said.
Trudeau said the government was hiring private security firms to help with quarantine checks on returning travellers. He also said anyone testing positive for the virus would have to finish their quarantine in a designated government facility.
He said while cases from international travel make up a minuscule share of cases, the variants pose too great a risk to Canada to not have these tougher measures in place.
“We know that just one case of the variant that comes in could cause significant challenges and that’s why we need to take extra measures,” he said. “Yes, it is extremely low the percentage of cases that are traced back to international travel, but it’s not zero.”
Trudeau also announced Canada’s major airlines would all be cancelling trips to sun destinations in Mexico and the Caribbean starting Sunday and extending into April.
He thanked the airlines for taking the steps to help limit the spread of the virus.
“We all agree that now is just not the time to be flying,” he said.
After they receive a negative COVID test, travellers will be able to finish their 14day quarantine at home, but Trudeau said the government would step up surveillance of those quarantines.
He also said non-essential travellers coming across the land border would also soon face testing requirements.
Travel to the country has been limited to Canadian citizens and permanent residents since last March when the pandemic began. A new requirement went into place earlier this year requiring travellers to have a negative test before they arrive in Canada.
Trudeau warned earlier this week that people should come home and cancel any travel plans.
“We are doing whatever it takes to keep Canadians safe. As I’ve said before, when it comes to protecting you and your family, nothing is off the table.”
The details of the quarantine effort are unclear at this point, including when it will come into force. The government is eager to discourage any international travel by Canadians, especially during the upcoming March break holiday.