It hasn’t already been posted, as far as I know, so thank you. It’s horrible but it’s not a change from when I traveled in March and May earlier this year. The difference for me is that I did some research about what I call the Covid Hotel Hell and discovered everything this family is experiencing from reading online accounts from other travelers.
I had a flight booked back to Toronto for my first return and, after reading stories such as this family’s, I did still more research, and learned that the same rules didn’t apply when returning by vehicle - only by air. Many of the border crossings are in small towns that don’t have the facilities (large hotels that can serve as prisons, complete with government guards), so the Feds decided Covid Hotel Hell would be required only for the 4-5 largest cities.
So I canceled my flight from Houston to Toronto and flew instead from Houston to Buffalo, NY. I hired a car to drive me the 20 minutes across the border to my home and was permitted to quarantine in my house for what was then 10 days. I did this both times I defied Trudeau and travelled in spite of his suggestion not to. I had to take one covid test in America within 3 days of my return, another when I arrived at the border, and a third on day 8 after my return. It’s all designed to discourage travel and vaccination status was irrelevant at the time.
Regrettably, the family may have had an easier time if they’d flown to Missoula, Montana, and hired a car to drive them to Calgary. It’s not that far and there’s an entire car service industry that’s sprung up all along the Canadian border for those who don’t want to go to Covid Hotel Hell. This family’s story is unpleasant, but there are worse stories.
In Toronto, the guards removed the locks from the doors so they could more easily check that the prisoners were in their rooms, and one woman was raped by another prisoner. The Supreme Court ruled a few months ago that the requirement to stay in the Covid Hotel Hell prisons was legal. I understand that the prisoners are permitted to go outside for 20 minutes once or twice a day.
I think the rules for returning to Canada were changed on November 30, so vaccinated travellers may not need to quarantine any longer. I haven’t kept completely up to date on the rules because my wings have been clipped due to my refusal to be jabbed. Biden just won’t let me in.
“...the family may have had an easier time if they’d flown to Missoula, Montana, and hired a car to drive them to Calgary. It’s not that far...”
411 miles, 7+ hours each way. It’s also a bit of a nasty drive this time of year.
Thank you, very informative.