Air travelers to Canada will be required to be quarantined in a hotel from February 22, pending the result of a coronavirus test, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday.
The stricter restrictions announced by Trudeau would be imposed on non-essential travelers in response to new variants that are probably more contagious.
Government officials have confirmed that – with limited exceptions – non-essential travelers will be required to book a three-night stay at a government-authorized hotel at their own expense pending test results.
Those crossing the US-Canada border by land will not have to isolate themselves in a hotel, but will have to show a negative test done three days before arrival and be tested on arrival also at the end of a 14-day quarantine at home or in another place.
Public Security Minister Bill Blair said that less than 5% of people crossing the land border are not essential, one of the reasons why staying at the hotel is not required for those who enter by land.
The measures particularly affect Canadian “snow birds” who spend the winter abroad and return home in the spring.
Health Minister Patty Hajdu said vaccinated Canadians will not be exempt because research is still unclear as to whether vaccinees can still transmit the virus to others. Some Canadian travelers to the United States are being vaccinated in Florida and Arizona.
Trudeau said it could take up to three days for the test results to become available and he said earlier that the cost of a hotel stay for air travelers could be $ 1,576. The high cost of staying at the hotel includes the cost of security, food and measures that hotels have to take to keep their workers safe.
Travelers would then isolate at home or elsewhere if the test was negative. Canada already requires those entering the country to isolate themselves for 14 days and prohibits non-essential travel to the country.
The Canadian Snowbird Assn. He said that the cost of staying at the hotel represents financial hardship for many, and travelers with a negative test should be quarantined in their homes.
Some Canadians abroad are flying back before a hotel stay is mandatory. Dr. Morley Rubinoff, 71, said he left his condo in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, about six weeks earlier this year to avoid what he called “hotel hell”. The semi-retired dentist said he arrived in Mexico on December 31 and planned to stay until mid-March before returning to Toronto.
Public health director Theresa Tam said on Friday that there were more than 429 cases of a worrying variant first identified in the UK, and 28 cases of the variant first identified in South Africa reported in eight provinces. So far, there has been only one report of the variant found for the first time in Brazil.
Although Canada has contracted far more vaccines than necessary to cover its population, they are slow to arrive, frustrating many who see faster implementation in neighboring USA.
Canadian officials said Trudeau talked to President Biden about the possibility of obtaining Pfizer vaccines from a factory near Michigan, whose first 100 million doses have already been contracted by the United States government.
“I think the president was publicly clear and certainly in particular when the conversation came up that his focus now is on ensuring that the American people are vaccinated,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki when asked about Canada on Friday. market.
Canada, which has no domestic production, has contracted vaccines from Europe and other countries.
Trudeau said he spoke to Pfizer’s chief executive and said he confirmed that Canada will receive 4 million doses before the end of March, as well as 10.8 million doses in April, May and June – more than previously announced. .
Trudeau also said that Canada is buying an additional 4 million modern vaccines and is studying the possibility of obtaining vaccines from India.