Canadians Are Avoiding Quarantine Hotels By Taking US Taxis Across The Land Border

Travellers flying into the country are managing to avoid Canada’s quarantine hotels by using American taxis to cross the land border, according to a new report.

CBC News revealed some taxi services are experiencing a boost in business thanks to the quarantine hotels, which usually require air passengers to stay for at least three nights.

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However, snowbirds and other Canadian travellers have found a way around the latest travel rules, CBC reports, by flying into the nearest U.S. airport and then entering Canada via land.

A quarantine hotel stay is not necessary if you arrive in Canada via land. However, all non-essential travellers must still quarantine for two weeks, regardless of how they enter the country.

While the Canada-U.S. border remains closed to discretionary travel, taxis are considered an essential service and therefore can continue to cross with passengers.

Penalties & fines

The Government of Canada website does not confirm if there’s a specific penalty or fine for avoiding quarantine hotels in this way.

However, it does note that failure to comply with Canada’s travel restrictions is an offence under the Quarantine Act and could lead to fines, imprisonment or both.

Violating instructions given to you when entering Canada could result in fines of $750,000 while breaking mandatory quarantine or isolation requirements (and subsequently causing the death or serious bodily harm of another person) could result in fines of up to $1 million.