Stricter measures come into effect at borders, airports
A new Canadian health order requiring a three-day hotel quarantine for air travellers got off to a rocky start on Monday, as some passengers complained of long waits to access the hotelbooking system.
Across Canada and abroad, travellers spoke of disconnected calls and hours or even days waiting on the line to make a reservation, forcing some to cancel their flights altogether.
Markham, Ont., resident Anuja Sharma, who flew to India roughly two weeks ago with her mother and her sister to resolve a legal issue with a family property, said Monday her family had yet to secure a spot, despite having spent hours on hold with the booking line.
“Collectively, between my husband and me, we’ve spent 14 hours on the phone,” she said in an interview from India, adding that neither she nor her husband got through.
“I completely understand the quarantine requirements ... but if the government comes up with some rules, they should have a supporting plan,” Sharma said.
At the Montreal airport on Monday, Loveline Akonbeng, who landed on a flight from Brussels, said it took her sister three days waiting on the phone for multiple hours to finally get through. “Three hours of waiting and sometimes the line would cut off by itself,” said Akonbeng, who described feeling “panicked” as her trip neared its end.
Tarek Mahmud Sonon and his wife Rushda Raman, who are moving to Regina from Bangladesh, were forced to cancel their flight and delay the beginning of their new life in Canada after being unable to book a hotel.
The couple and their relatives in North America unsuccessfully tried calling the reservation line, Sonon said in an email, estimating they spent five to six hours on hold for each attempt. The pair, who are moving to Canada on work and student visas, were supposed to arrive on Monday. They underwent a pre-departure COVID-19 test before being faced with the hotel hurdle, he said.
“We are now in great depression thinking about our future and next course of action,” Sonon said.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said the tighter border controls are meant to keep everyone safe, not punish travellers. At a press conference on Friday, Trudeau acknowledged there had been issues with the phone lines but said the problems would be cleared up shortly.
The hotel stays, which must be paid for by the travellers, are just one of a series of measures that came into effect Monday to limit the spread of COVID and the introduction of variants considered more transmissible than the dominant virus strain circulating in the country.
Most incoming air travellers will need to get tested for the virus upon arrival and again toward the end of their mandatory 14-day quarantine.
Travellers arriving at land borders will be given self-swab kits, and testing will be provided on-site at five high-volume border crossings. The new rules are in addition to previous orders that require a negative test result within 72 hours of arrival. Travellers need to complete a second test on Day 10 of their self-isolation period.
The number of COVID-19 cases has continued to decline steadily across much of the country, according to Canada’s chief public health officer.
Ontario reported 1,058 new cases of COVID-19 and 11 more deaths linked to the virus on Monday, as the York region returned to the province’s colour-coded system of pandemic restrictions on Monday. A stay-at-home order remained in effect for three other areas, including Toronto.
Quebec’s government-mandated public health institute said 86 more suspected cases of coronavirus variants had been detected in the province, for a total of 415 suspected cases. Quebec has confirmed 23 cases.
The province reported 11 additional deaths and 805 cases of COVID Monday, prompting the provincial health minister to describe the situation as “stable.”