Quarantine laxity shocks traveller
Calgary traveller shocked by lax enforcement of hotel quarantine
A Calgary man who returned from a three-month stay at his Phoenix, Arizona, property last week said he was shocked by lax enforcement of the mandatory hotel quarantine for returning travellers at Calgary International Airport.
Bill Lister said when he landed in Calgary, he was free to walk out of the airport and into the back of a taxi, saying it's just one of the “gaps in the system.”
Though he could have left, he went to complete his hotel stay, as required. But he said hotel staff informed him he could leave at any time if he chose to do so.
“I'm not an anti-quarantine guy. ... My point with the program is that, if you have a program, you should have a program,” Lister said.
“A guy with the P.1. (Brazilian variant) can get off the same plane and get in a cab. And maybe they'll get a fine.”
The federal government introduced a mandatory hotel quarantine period for returning travellers in February, with the goal of keeping variant cases of COVID -19 out of Canada.
It comes with a cost to travellers of about $1,300. Travellers must remain in the hotel until they receive a negative test taken after they landed, and must continue to isolate for 14 days after arriving in Canada even after leaving the hotel.
The Public Health Agency of Canada, which oversees the mandatory quarantine program, said it does not comment on specific cases, and did not respond to questions about lax enforcement at the Calgary International Airport.
However, it said in a statement to Postmedia those who violate rules can be subject to a fine of up to $750,000 or six months in jail.
“Royal Canadian Mounted Police or municipal police services can take enforcement actions under the Quarantine Act and the Criminal Code,” the agency said.
“PHAC will continue to work with the Alberta Government and local law enforcement, as necessary.”
Frustrations for Lister mounted when he didn't receive his test result until days after he landed in Calgary.
An inquiry to the province revealed that his test result had accidentally been sent to someone else on his own flight, raising additional privacy concerns.
While in the U.S., Lister took advantage of that country's accelerated vaccination campaign and received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine, meaning he's fully immunized against COVID-19.
He questioned why he was still then required to follow hotel quarantine, even though he was immunized and also has a home he could go to where he is the sole resident, saying the federal government's one-size-fits-all approach to returning travellers wasn't working.
The PHAC said even those who have been immunized must take part in the program due to uncertainty about how vaccines impact virus transmission.
“There is still limited evidence on whether someone who received a COVID -19 vaccine is still able to transmit the virus,” the agency said.
“Currently, travellers arriving in Canada, whether they are vaccinated or not, must follow mandatory quarantine and testing requirements, including a 14-day quarantine. Any change to this approach will be based on scientific evidence and expert advice.”
Since March 27, seven international flights have arrived in Calgary where at least one case of COVID-19 was confirmed.
Those flights originated in Amsterdam, Dallas and Denver.