A Manitoba resident has been fined $1,750 for leaving the province before completing the mandated 14-day quarantine that is required after international travel.
Under the Quarantine Act, international travellers must quarantine for 14 days upon arrival back in Manitoba, whether or not they are displaying symptoms or have tested negative for COVID-19.
Perry Batchelor, chief of the Altona Police Service, said officers received a notification that someone from Plum Coulee, Man., had been ordered to quarantine after travelling outside of Canada.
“Our officers attended the residence and found that there was no one home, no answer at the door,” he said.
“They spoke with different folks and through the brief investigation determined the person that was supposed to be in quarantine was actually out of (the) province.”
Batchelor noted the officers went back to the home on Jan. 5 and handed out the $1,750 ticket.
He said their initial checkup at the residence was just routine protocol to ensure that travellers are following the public health orders.
“If they are not in compliance, we’ll return and figure out why they weren’t in compliance, and in this case, it was determined they were out of (the) province so they were issued a ticket.”
Batchelor added that officers have checked in on many mandated quarantines, and this situation is an anomaly, as the majority of people are following the rules.
He said there’s an expectation that’s been placed on everyone to try and get through the pandemic as quickly as possible.
“When the fines total $1,750, it’s obviously being taken very seriously by the government, and it needs to be taken seriously by those that are ordered into quarantine.”
The Manitoba government said it’s aware of two cases in the last two weeks where residents were ticketed for defying the Quarantine Act.
