The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
Get on board with Canadian quarantine
Q
As Canada has reopened for tourism, I plan to go snowboarding in the Rockies for 10 days next February. I’ll be flying from London to Calgary and driving on to Fernie Alpine Resort where I plan to rent an apartment.
However, I am getting conflicting advice about having a “quarantine plan” in place in order to complete and file the ArriveCAN passenger locator form before flying. The form requires that I nominate a place where I could quarantine for 14 days if I test positive on entry.
Do I really need to book a hotel for 14 days near Calgary airport that I have no intention of using? I doubt I’d be able to cancel it without charge on the day.
– Pete Sullivan
A
The Canadian Government requires all travellers to designate a place of quarantine in order to enter Canada.
This can be your first hotel or a private address, but you must prove you can obtain sustenance without leaving it. You may be quizzed about this on entry.
Destination Canada, the national tourist office, told me that a few passengers on each flight are being randomly selected for Covid-19 testing on arrival. As this is a laboratory-processed PCR test, the result will not come through immediately, so those chosen will be allowed to continue to their final destination, even if this involves taking a connecting flight – and they won’t have to quarantine while awaiting the result.
Canada ski specialist Frontier Ski says it has worked out quarantine plans with the hotels it uses in case a customer tests positive and has to stay on. Local travel agents can help anyone who needs to find a place to stay beyond their departure date, it adds.
Check that this is a possibility with your accommodation provider in case you are quizzed by immigration officials. Also make sure you have good insurance to cover extra costs. The Ski Club of Great Britain’s travel insurance now has a Covid-19 endorsement providing some cover for this rare scenario.
The policy does not cover claims where customers can isolate in their pre-booked accommodation, but it does cover claims where they are told to quarantine elsewhere. As well as claiming back the cost of their original unused accommodation, they can claim for any additional costs charged by the Canadian Government for the quarantine hotel. The cost of taking a later flight home is also covered.
For latest guidelines, see the Government of Canada website at travel.gc.ca.