In my travels to all 10 Canadian provinces, I have stayed mostly in hostels. If hostels are the difference between travel and not travel, I will pick a hostel. I have stayed in hotels in Windsor, a very different exception, a night each in Saint John and Fredericton, both in New Brunswick, and one hotel room in downtown Vancouver not recommended for those suffering from claustrophobia. I have stayed in dorms in Winnipeg and Vancouver, great for summer travel.
Canadian hotels have been prevalent in the news where the Canadian government is requiring air travellers landing in Canada to quarantine in a hotel at their own expense, starting February 22.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has used a $2,000 figure as the potential cost of the 3-day quarantine hotel stay.
Flights into Canada are only coming to Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, or Montréal. The 72 hours is required to await the results of a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test.
The $2,000 figure seems a bit high even when you factor in security, testing, and presumably food. Canadian hotel rooms aren't any more magical than hotel rooms in other countries.
"The price will include costs associated with the room, food, cleaning, infection prevention and control measures, and security as well as transportation," said Health Minister Patty Hajdu.
If the test proves negative, those people can take a connecting flight to their final destination.
"We're aware that that we need to be thoughtful and compassionate about people who are in extremely difficult situations and absolutely need to travel. We're not trying to punish people," Prime Minister Trudeau said.
How COVID-19 is affecting Canadian snowbirds
CanadianCrossing.com border crossings coverage
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CanadianCrossing.com travel coverage
Some areas have paid to have people quarantine in hotels during COVID-19 but that was earlier in the pandemic. The $2,000 number might be an incentive to discourage unnecessary travel. We still don't know how the snowbirds will be affected by this new policy.
There is a considerable focus on when the Canada-U.S. border will reopen. The lack of consistency in policy between the borders will likely lead to a delay in that reopening. The fact that Canadians and those in Canada can fly to the United States without issue is a concern. The "driving to Alaska" antics didn't improve the perceptions of travelers from the United States.
The new Trudeau policy is trying to get Canadians to stay within Canada. The instinct for Canadians is to travel to the United States, especially when the weather is cold in Canada. We would love for those in the States to have an instinct to visit Canada though not until the COVID-19 situation is significantly improved.
photo credit: me
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