TORONTO – As Canada tightens its travel restrictions amid the rise of the Omicron variant, frustration and confusion ensue for travelers stuck in quarantine facilities.
Last week, Canada announced travel bans affecting 10 African countries. Canadian citizens and permanent residents who have stayed in one of the 10 countries are required to remain in a quarantine facility upon their return to Canada, regardless of their vaccination status, pending the results of a COVID-19 test upon their arrival. Canadians or permanent residents returning from these 10 countries are also required to present a PCR test result from a third country.
For people waiting for their test results at quarantine facilities, some say it goes beyond patience.
Tiffany Gaura and her daughters, five and eight, arrived at a facility whose halls were completely covered in plastic after flying to Calgary from Egypt, one of the countries covered by Canadian government travel restrictions .
“We get very unhealthy meals left at our door, three times a day. There is a security guard outside the rooms. I mean, you can’t go out. There is no air. fresh, ”she told CTV News.
“I was not at all mentally prepared for this kind of welcome”
It was a similar experience for Jessica Sirois, who had to stay in a quarantine facility in Toronto after returning from Egypt.
“I spent all night last night trying to call the front desk to get water in my room and some fruit or something healthy because they basically give you carbs,” Sirois told CTV. News.
For Sarah Mossad, who also flew to Toronto from Egypt, her room didn’t even have a heater and the only water available was from rusty bathroom faucets. She told CTV News she had to wait until 4 p.m. the next day to change rooms.
“I just had to wear a lot of sweaters that day, which I didn’t have many, coming back from the 30 degree weather in Cairo,” she said.
“You’re in this room with poor ventilation, not knowing when you’re going to have basic necessities like water and things like that.”
Travelers are also reporting that they are being left in the dark by quarantine officers after receiving their test results.
Sirois had already received his negative results for his arrival test. But on Monday afternoon, she had received no word from quarantine officers on when she could return home.
“I actually just got an email saying my PCR tests were negative again. No one contacted me to find out when I could go home. For example, I have no idea.” she said. “I don’t have COVID but they treat me like a criminal.”
Sirois is not the only one to have had to deal with a lack of communication. The Mossad had to wait 36 hours to hear from an officer after getting his negative test result.
“I was up all night, waiting for my negative test. As soon as I got it, I called and told them I tested negative. No calls were returned, no information,” she told CTV News.
Things got so bad for the Mossad that she ended up calling 911 in panic and frustration after there was no response from the phone numbers given to her.
“It was really tough mentally. You know, I just wasn’t sure if we were going to spend two more days there. I wasn’t sure we were ever going to leave,” she said. .
The Minister of Public Safety defended the federal quarantine facilities when asked about the conditions on Monday.
“We will spare no expense and no resources when it comes to protecting Canadians, including at the border. We will continue to provide clear travel advice to all Canadians and others traveling to Canada,” he told reporters. .
Mark Johnson, spokesperson for the Public Health Agency of Canada, told CTV National News in an emailed statement that the agency is working to strengthen its ability to allow people to return home closer the moment they receive their negative test results.
“Every traveler staying at a designated quarantine facility has access to 24-hour assistance and ongoing medical surveillance,” Johnson said.
There is no timeline on how long these measures for those coming from the 10 designated countries will remain in place. For travelers who are allowed to leave the quarantine facilities, they will need to continue quarantining themselves at home for up to 14 days and undergo another COVID-19 test on the eighth day of their quarantine.
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