Quick trip to the U.S. results in quarantine nightmare for northern Ontario couple
A northern Ontario couple who took a three-day trip to the U.S. are now in isolation for two weeks.
Suzanne Beckerton and her partner crossed the border in Sault Ste. Marie on Nov. 4 after uploading all of their documents to the ArriveCan app.
“This can’t be done ahead of time as it can only be done when you are leaving," said Beckerton.
"We scanned our proof of vaccines, we scanned our passports and everything appeared to be uploaded on our apps and everything seemed fine."
The couple was stateside to purchase a snowmobile and when they arrived at the border, they were told to pull to the side and thought nothing of it.
This came after being asked for a QR Code, something they didn’t realize was part of the ArriveCan app and had to be shown in order to cross the border.
“Next thing you know, another officer knocks on my window and says you’re being quarantined for 14 days," said Beckerton. "(He) handed me four COVID tests and said you’re in the system, have a nice day.”
She said they were not prepared for a sudden quarantine.
“I had no way of backing up and there’s no backup plan," Beckerton said.
"What the officer did at the border took him three seconds, to put my life on hold for two weeks. I’ve tried to call all the phone numbers on the app and none of them were successful. I’ve emailed them and they’ve not responded."
She also reached out to her local MP, Carol Hughes, and was told there was nothing they could do.
When contacted by CTV News, Hughes said she has received several calls from constituents about the ArriveCan app, and is encouraging travellers to do their due diligence before leaving.
"There has to be a better avenue for communication," she said. "I think that it's important (for) travellers to make sure that they look at the website -- the government website -- to get all of the details that they need before they travel to try to prevent a lot of this hardship that’s been happening."
Beckerton said the most frustrating part about it all is that she can’t go to work right now.
"I have left my colleagues in a terrible bind and my job is very important and I can’t go to it and I’m perfectly healthy to work," she said.
"I want to work and I’m not allowed to leave the house. It’s completely unfair.”
Meantime, CTV News reached out to the Canada Border Services Agency who issued this statement:
"CBSA is unable to provide comment on specific cases and we cannot speculate on certain outcomes, as each traveller presents themselves to a border services officer under a different set of circumstances, with varying levels of information available,” said Louis-Carl Brissette Lesage, spokesperson for CBSA.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
China's latest EV is a 'connected' car from smart phone and electronics maker Xiaomi
Xiaomi, a well-known maker of smart consumer electronics in China, is joining the country's booming but crowded market for electric cars.