Some travellers are flat-out refusing to quarantine in B.C. hotels as mandated by the federal government to contain COVID-19 spread.
As of April 7, 106 people were ticketed $3,000 for failing to book a government-authorized accommodation prior to travel then subsequently refusing to go to one, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.
This, of all those who landed at the Vancouver International Airport – one of four locations in Canada where international travellers can fly into.
Since Feb. 22, incoming travellers are required to take a COVID-19 test and stay at an approved accommodation while awaiting results. The cost of the hotel falls upon the traveller.
READ MORE: B.C. woman given $6,900 fine for allegedly breaking quarantine rules twice in 2 days
Of the 23,252 travellers who were tested in British Columbia between Feb. 22 and April 7, 306 or 1.3 per cent were positive for COVID-19.
“Each positive case identified from international travel reduces the risk of onward community transmission in Canada,” said Public Health Agency spokesperson Tammy Jarbeau.
Respectively, those who continue to violate the Quarantine Act can face an additional $3,000 in fines for each day of refusal to comply, confirmed Jarbeau.
Harsher penalties for non-compliance include $750,000 in fines and a six-month jail term, Jarbeau said.
Travellers who put the lives of others at risk while contravening the law could face up to $1,000,000 in fines and three years in jail.
RELATED: Since March, 5,030 travellers have quarantined in Canadian hotels – 717 in B.C.
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