Canadian snowbirds Jacqueline and Carry Erinson in Yuma, Arizona will return on March 9th. But instead of enjoying the last few weeks in this desert oasis, it’s said to be “the most sunny place on earth.” A couple from Barrhead in Alta. .. , Say their anxiety level couldn’t be higher.
The federal government has announced that most air travelers arriving in Canada will need to book a government-approved hotel room for three nights while waiting for the results of the COVID-19 test, so Ellingsons will go home. Scrambled to find alternative arrangements for.
They say they are bonds and cannot afford forced hotel quarantine. So, as a backup plan, I tentatively booked a rental car from Yuma to Great Falls, Montana, and then booked another rental car that could drive across the border to Alberta.
At some point, they even thought of taking Uber from Great Falls to the border and then just walking across.
“It’s like changing the rules of a baseball game along the way,” Jacqueline said Thursday. “It’s a logistic nightmare.”
For those whose reason for existence is a stress-free winter, the latest COVID-19 rules have resulted in a mixture of frustration and confusion. Dozens of members had the opportunity to vent when the star posted a message to the “Snowbirds in and around Arizona” Facebook group on Thursday asking for a response to the new pending action.
Many said it was okay to have a COVID test before departure and quarantine at home for 14 days, but having to stay at the hotel for three nights was overkill.
“I didn’t pay to eat old bagels and apples at the hotel. I couldn’t afford to stay at the hotel,” wrote one member.
“I have already sent a scorching response to the Prime Minister of Canada. I think it is very typical that the Government of Canada is very keen to trample my constitutional rights,” said another. I am writing.
“This is not wartime. I am not an enemy of Canada,” another person wrote.
In an official statement this week, the Canadian Snowbird Association said it supported immigration tests at airports and intersections, but “resolutely opposed” the hotel’s compulsory quarantine measures.
“It would be unreasonable to force Canadians to pay more than $ 2,000 for a three-night stay in a government-approved hotel, which would be financially difficult for many,” the statement said.
The association noted that some countries that have introduced similar protocols allow certain travelers to be exempt.
“For example, in New Zealand, citizens and residents returning to New Zealand for more than 90 days, or leaving New Zealand before the regulations come into force, will not be charged a fee for controlled quarantine. If the Government of Canada does not want to allow quarantine at the homes of Canadian citizens and residents, the Government must implement at least a similar exemption. “
The association has not yet received a response from the government, spokesman Evan Rakovsky said Thursday.
He said most Canadian Snowbirds currently abroad are only waiting for details from the government before finalizing their travel plans to Canada. One open question, he said, is whether compulsory hotel quarantine also applies to people coming to Canada via the border.
Mary Liz Power, a spokesman for Public Security Minister Bill Blair, said the pending hotel quarantine measures do not currently apply to people driving across borders. However, just as air travelers are required to present test results before boarding a flight to Canada, those crossing overland will present COVID-19 test results before being allowed to pass. is needed.
Health Canada spokesman Tammy Jarbo just said it would be “in the coming weeks” when the new testing and quarantine requirements would come into effect. Details explaining these requirements are expected in the “next few days”.
Meanwhile, the Alberta-based Center for Constitutional Freedom said it was “actively preparing to file an imminent proceeding” in response to the government’s compulsory hotel quarantine measures. ..
“If the government refuses, we bring the matter to court and ask the judge to stop it on the court date as soon as possible,” the website statement said.
Erinsons says he probably wouldn’t have traveled if he knew these rules would come before he left for Arizona in November.
They say it’s unfair that they currently have an outlook for additional costs. She said that at least those who are thinking about traveling now can budget and plan.
Now loading…
Now loading…Now loading…Now loading…Now loading…Now loading…
“We couldn’t plan this — it was unfairly thrown on our knees.”
Yuma’s other snowbird, June Garcia, agrees that when they do nothing wrong, they appear to be unfairly punished.
Garcia of Fort St. John, British Columbia, states that she and her husband Tom have been in Arizona since October and will return in April. She said the prospect of having to stay at the hotel for three nights on arrival would be daunting.
Because Tom is paraplegic. She said homes in both British Columbia and Arizona have been refurbished inside and outside to meet wheelchair and other needs.
That doesn’t apply to hotels.
“That’s what happens — a prison,” she said. “And we have to pay for it and we’re not doing anything wrong.”
She adds that she and her husband have already received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and are planning a second dose.
She says they have a van in Arizona and could bring it back to BC, but the drive takes five days. This is also very difficult.
Some residents told the stars if the hotel’s quarantine rules were being followed, they would be tempted just to postpone their return trip.
Susan Chatter, who recently retired from Penticton, British Columbia, has rented a place in Destin, Florida since early December and plans to return at the end of February, but may cancel her flight and extend her stay. It states that there is.
“At this point, I don’t want to go home, because my country feels punishing me just by looking at the sun. When did this become a crime?” Said.
“But that said, living here is expensive. You can wait until April.”
Some Snowbirds who chose to stay in Canada this winter say their now-detained fellow Snowbirds should have known that crackdowns were possible.
“I’m a snowbird. I wish I had been to our place in Arizona this season, but I decided not to,” Linda Vandercork wrote to the Arizona Facebook group.
“We all heard from the government that we shouldn’t fly anywhere, and that restrictions are subject to change at any time with or without notice. As a result, you shouldn’t be surprised here. I understand frustration and anger, but this has always been possible. Some have seized the opportunity, others haven’t. “
Join the conversation
Q: Q:
Do you think Snowbird should be exempt? Share your thoughts.
Anyone can read the conversation, but to contribute, you must register as a Torstar account holder. If you don’t have a Torstar account yet, you can create one now (it’s free)
Canadian Snowbirds Devising Plans to Avoid Hotel Quarantine “Prison”