Canada has increased fines for non-compliance with hotel quarantine
It will now cost more to turn down a hotel.
Despite a call by a federal advisory group to abolish mandatory quarantine in hotels, Canadian authorities have done the opposite — increasing fines for refusing quarantine.
From February 2021, all travellers arriving in Canada are required to spend up to 3 days in one of the government-approved quarantine hotels at their own expense. The stay can cost up to $2,000 CAD per person.
Starting June 3, the fine for non-compliance is $5,000 CAD instead of $3,000 as it was previously. Hundreds of fines have been issued for violations in hotels in Canada since the quarantine ordinance went into effect.
Mandatory quarantine in hotels has been criticized, including by a federal advisory group that is developing recommendations for measures to combat COVID-19. According to the group's report, quarantined hotels are financially burdensome and there is no evidence that they actually contain the spread of the virus.
To avoid a 3-day hotel stay, many Canadians choose to flight to the US to come to Canada from there via the land border and thus legally avoid a quarantined hotel.
