Air passengers entering Canada who refuse to quarantine in a designated hotel will soon be subject to a $5,000 fine.
The federal government has announced that, starting Friday, international air passengers who decline to take their required COVID-19 tests or who refuse to check into a quarantine hotel could be hit with a $5,000 fine for each offence — a $2,000 increase from the current fine.
On Feb. 22, the government said air passengers entering Canada must take a COVID-19 test upon arrival and spend up to three days of their 14-day quarantine at a government-approved hotel to wait for their test results. Passengers must foot the bill for their stay, which can cost up to $2,000.
Travellers must also take a COVID-19 test before entering Canada.
The fine increase follows a government advisory panel report issued last week which said Ottawa should scrap the hotel quarantine requirement and instead let people arrange their own quarantine.
The panel said the hotel quarantine is flawed for a number of reasons, including that some travellers are choosing instead to pay the current fine of up to $3,000.
Between April 14 and May 24, more than 1,000 travellers were fined for refusing to go to a quarantine hotel and more than 400 were fined for not taking their required COVID-19 test before flying to Canada or upon arrival at the airport, according to the government.
‘Just go directly home’
But the increased fine might not dissuade some people from violating the hotel quarantine requirement, depending on their resolve or where they land.
Kent Saunders — a dual Canada-U.S. citizen living in Las Vegas — flew to Vancouver in April and said he informed a health official at the airport he was heading directly to a friend’s place to quarantine.
The official issued him a ticket for $3,450 ($3,000 plus added fees). Saunders told CBC News he has no intention of paying the fine.
“You’re getting $3,450 out of me? You’re dreaming,” he said.
Also, there is no indication yet from Ottawa that any international travellers landing in Calgary have been fined.
During the pandemic, international flights to Canada can only land at airports in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal.
Last month, Calgary police told CBC News that because Alberta never adopted the federal Contraventions Act — which allows police to ticket people for federal offences — Calgary police can only investigate a person who refused to quarantine in a hotel if someone launches a complaint.
