Kingston, Ont. man stuck in Jamaica after positive COVID-19 test

It’s a vacationer’s nightmare.

Thousands of kilometres separate Chrissy Flowers from her boyfriend, Joshua Brown, who is stuck in Jamaica after testing positive for COVID-19.

“He came up to the room by himself. They let him walk back through the resort, he had a few minutes to be able to pack up his stuff, and then someone was going to come and get him,” says Flowers.

“They showed up at the door and took him to the isolation wing.”

Brown elected to isolate at the resort instead of being taken to the free government-sponsored isolation centre.

Flowers says the isolation cost is expected to be over $1,500 US and PCR tests cost 75$ each.

She decided it would be best to fly back home as scheduled.

“It was a heartbreaking decision to have to leave him there, but it was the only thing that we could do,” says Flowers.

“So I left on my flight on Wednesday.”

Travelling during the pandemic comes with uncertainty, and becoming infected while abroad can lead to becoming stranded as restrictions can change, sometimes hour to hour.

“We do not want you to be stranded or to be sick abroad once you have left the country,” says Canadian Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos during a press conference on Friday.

“Once you are stranded, once you are sick, there is little the Canadian government can do to help you.”

Brown is currently experiencing no symptoms, and is currently on day three of his 14-day isolation period.

Flowers is back home isolating, and staying in constant contact.

“It’s him that I’m worried about,” she says.

“So we’re trying to keep in contact for most of the day because he’s losing his mind a bit, too, and he’s terrified.”

Flowers says she hopes her boyfriend will be able to return home before any further border restrictions could be imposed.