The federal government has released a list of approved hotels for returning travelers to complete their mandatory quarantine in the four cities where international flights are permitted to land amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The measure, announced recently by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, will require most people entering Canada by air to isolate for up to 72 hours at their own expense in a government-approved hotel as they await results of a compulsory COVID-19 test taken upon arrival.
The hotels listed on the government’s website are:
Alberta:
Calgary International Airport (YYC)
Acclaim Hotel
Marriot Calgary Airport
British Columbia:
Vancouver International Airport (YVR)
Westin Wall Centre Vancouver Airport
Ontario:
Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ)
Alt Hotel Pearson Airport
Four Points by Sheraton and Element Toronto Airport
Holiday Inn Toronto International Airport
Sheraton Gateway Hotel in Toronto International Airport
Quebec:
Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL)
Aloft Montreal Airport
Crowne Plaza Montreal Airport
Holiday Inn Express and Suites Montreal Airport
Montreal Airport Marriott In-Terminal
Travelers will be able to choose from the listed hotel locations and will receive email confirmation of their accommodation within 4 hours of booking. They must also present proof of having reserved and pre-paid for their accommodation through ArriveCAN.
They can drive themselves to the approved hotel if their private vehicle is parked in one of the airport’s parking lots and within walking distance from the airport. In the absence of personal transport, one may take the shuttle bus for government-authorized hotels.
During their stay, one is required to abide by the rules and regulations of the Quarantine Act that includes not leaving the hotel room unless it’s for a medical emergency, for an essential medical service or treatment or unless pre-authorized by a government official.
Individuals in contravention of the Quarantine Act may face fines of over $3,000 depending upon the nature of non-compliance, according to the government website.
On completing the mandatory 3-day quarantine, travelers will still be required to complete the remainder of their 14-day isolation after the hotel stopover.
Before leaving, they will further be provided with a test kit and required to take another COVID-19 molecular test later during their 14-day quarantine.
The cost of the mandatory hotel quarantine goes into effect on Monday and appears to be well below the $2,000-per-person price tag initially cited by officials when they announced the new program.
Nightly rates at the Alt Hotel Toronto Airport and the Sheraton Gateway Hotel at Toronto Pearson International Airport, two of the hotels currently participating in the government quarantine program, start at $339 and $319, respectively, for a single person, employees at those hotels say.
Those rates include all costs associated with the quarantine, including food and security, the employees say.
On Jan. 29, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that all travelers entering Canada by air would have to quarantine in a hotel at their own expense, saying the cost would exceed $2,000 per person.
Many Canadians abroad made plans to return home before the hotel quarantine requirement goes into effect on Feb. 22.
— With files from The Canadian Press