In light of the travel measures in place for the Omicron variant, new Canadian citizens and permanent residents continue to face challenges when returning across the land border.
Nawaz Khan, an Ontario truck driver, says he makes two to three trips across the US border each week and picks up building materials.
However, Khan’s fast card, which allowed him to go through customs upon passage, recently expired. He had to travel to the United States in his personal vehicle to update this. He stayed there for less than 45 minutes.
“I was interviewed and came back to the Canadian side,” Khan said.
Upon his return, border officials told him that Khan would have to be isolated for two weeks, even though he had been fully vaccinated.
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“I was shocked,” he said.
“I had to stop my Rick for almost a month,” he said. “I can’t believe I did something wrong.”
Khan said that as of November 30, not all essential workers have been notified by authorities to upload proof of vaccination to the federal ArriveCAN smartphone processor.
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“Canadians who do not submit their information via ArriveCAN will not be eligible for an exemption and will face additional delays at the border,” Federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Ducos said at a conference on Friday. Press.
However, confusion arises among non-essential workers and those less “tech-savvy”.
“Parents with hard copies are forced to isolate themselves where they don’t have to if they are able to use the app. It’s not fair, ”said Laura Tamblyn Watts, CEO of CanAge, a national organization for parents.
John Shields, professor of politics and political administration at Ryerson University, says that may be the reason.
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“People create false documents and identify themselves as having been vaccinated when they have not been,” Shields told Global News.
“That’s why I suspect the government is saying, ‘Well, let’s just take electronics.'”
Shields said this could lead to supply chain problems ahead of the holidays, as essential vaccinated workers are forced to be isolated.
According to Khan, his truck is idling, full of undelivered goods, he is fully vaccinated in isolation and is waiting to see when he can return to work.
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