Experts recommend cancelling hotel quarantine
Does the government agree?
The federal advisory group, which makes recommendations to the government on issues related to COVID-19, is advising that the mandatory hotel quarantine for foreign travellers entering Canada be removed. The group argues that instead, arrivals should provide a quarantine plan, and only go to government-designated facilities if they do not.
The advisory group highlighted several problems with mandatory hotel quarantine. For example, many travelers choose to simply ignore the requirement and pay the $3,000 CAD fine, and some fly to the U.S. and arrive in Canada by taxi, legally missing hotel quarantine because the rules for air and land border travelers are different.
The requirement for mandatory quarantine in hotels came into effect in February and caused a flurry of criticism. Travellers arriving in Canada from abroad must take a COVID-19 test upon arrival and wait up to 3 days for the result in one of the approved hotels, while paying for their own accommodation. The cost per person can be up to $2,000 CAD.
"Travellers face additional costs, time commitment and the need to book government-authorised accommodation," the advisory group said in its report.
The group suggested several scenarios for travellers arriving in Canada, depending on vaccination status.
For the unvaccinated, it is suggested to request a COVID-19 test before leaving for Canada, a repeat test on arrival, a quarantine plan (no hotel) and a control test on day 7.
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