Hotel Quarantine

[ForumUser]

Dear Sir/Maam,

Where do I go to quarantine for COVID as a new immigrant to Canada? Do i need to do a three-day hotel stay? How do I book that, and where can I go for financial help on booking the stay for me and my family? What are the rules around this?

[PMM]

Hi

@ForumUser

Dear Sir/Maam,
Where do I go to quarantine for COVID as a new immigrant to Canada? Do i need to do a three-day hotel stay? How do I book that, and where can I go for financial help on booking the stay for me and my family? What are the rules around this?

1. Yes, you will have to quarantine for up to 3 days at a hotel at your point of entry until you receive a negative Covid test. You will have to have a plan for the remainder of the 14 day quarantine period.
2. The hotel listings are here: https://tinyurl.com/ydapfwd8 as well the instructions.
   
3. Only refugees being resettled are eligible for financial help.

[SettlementOrgMod]

Hi there,

Thank you for sharing your question with us. We hope that the following information will help you in assessing your options.

As a foreign national who is eligible to travel to Canada, upon arrival in Canada you will be asked to quarantine for a minimum of 14 days. If you are arriving by airplane, this includes a mandatory 3 night pre-paid booking at a government-authorized hotel at your own cost.

A suitable place to quarantine must be somewhere where you:

[table][tr][td]

•   stay for 14 days or possibly longer
  

•   have access to the necessities of life, including water, food, medication and heat without leaving quarantine
  

•   can avoid contact with others who did not travel with you
  

•   have no guests
  

[/table]

Only in limited circumstances and with the government’s consent may you quarantine somewhere where you will have contact with any vulnerable members of the population (i.e. people who are 65 years old or older, people who have underlying medical conditions, etc.) or anyone who may come into contact with any vulnerable members of the population through work or volunteering (i.e. heath care workers, long term care facility volunteers, etc.). You also cannot quarantine in any group environment (i.e. shelter, group residence, etc.).

If you cannot quarantine at home or your final destination in accordance with these guidelines, you may be allowed to complete your 14 day quarantine at a hotel. You may refer to the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) site, specifically the page entitled COVID-19 mandatory hotel stopover: Booking and list of government-authorized hotels, in order to book a government-authorized hotel. You may either book directly with the hotels or through GB Travel Canada Incorporated. The cost of these hotels will vary by location.

Please note that, as mentioned above, should you fly into the country, it is your responsibility to confirm a government-authorized hotel booking for the mandatory 3 days prior to boarding your flight to Canada. However, as detailed on the IRCC page Questions about Mandatory Hotel Stopover, if you are unable to afford to book such a hotel or quarantine in any capacity, upon arriving in Canada you will be sent to a federal designated quarantine facility:

[table][tr][td] A person (who is not otherwise exempt from quarantine) who enters Canada by aircraft and cannot provide evidence of pre-paid accommodation at a government-authorized accommodation is considered unable to quarantine. A person who is considered unable to quarantine must follow the directions of a screening officer or quarantine officer to go to a federal designated quarantine facility.
[/table]

These facilities are considered last resorts for travellers who do not have the ability to meet the quarantine requirements in any other way. Before sending you to one of these facilities, government representatives may work with you to confirm that you have no other options for meeting the required quarantine accommodations. If the government representatives establish that you are unable to meet the quarantine standards through your own means, you will be sent to one of these facilities where you will remain for the full 14 days of your quarantine.

We hope that you find this information helpful. Please let us know if you have any further questions.

Sincerely,

Your Settlement.Org Team

This response was prepared with the assistance of PBSC law student volunteers. PBSC volunteers are not lawyers and they are not authorized to provide legal advice. This document contains general discussion of certain legal and related issues only. This response does not contain legal advice. If you require legal advice, please consult with a lawyer.