Returning from short trips into the U.S. without ArriveCAN app lands Manitobans 14-day quarantines
Some Manitobans are finding out the hard way about requirements to re-enter Canada after short trips into the U.S.
A 73-year-old Winnipeg man who went to Pembina, N.D. Tuesday to pick up a parcel is in day three of a mandatory quarantine, despite being fully vaccinated and carrying all the information he thought was required to return to Canada.
“It was a nightmare,” the man, who asked not to be named, said in an interview. “I got a 14-day quarantine.”
On Nov. 30, the rules changed to allow fully vaccinated Canadians who re-enter the country within 72 hours to return without providing a negative PCR test. However, travellers are required to submit mandatory information including proof of vaccination in the ArriveCAN app before arriving in Canada.
People who won’t be eligible for the exemption may face delays at the border for public health questioning and may be subject to fines or enforcement action.
The man said he spent about 20 minutes in the U.S. fetching the parcel. When he tried getting back into Canada, the man said a border officer told him he needed to have the ArriveCAN app downloaded on his cell phone.
The man said the agent let him return to the U.S. to download and fill out the app, which he did. When he tried getting back into Canada a second time, he said a different border officer told him information surrounding his quarantine plan was incomplete.
“The agent says we’re putting you on a mandatory quarantine,” the man explained. “I said, ‘14-day quarantine.’ I said, ‘Pardon me.’ I haven’t been in the states for more than an hour.”
The man said he tried showing both his Canadian and Manitoba proof of vaccination, but it wasn’t accepted.
“I have all this information that I’ve been vaccinated and for one thing, I told the agent I’m 73 years old I’m not illiterate when it comes to working on the computer and stuff like that and using my phone but I most certainly don’t have all the skills required,” he said.
He’s not the only one who was caught by surprise. Karianna Smith and Joel Epps, who are both fully vaccinated, took a short trip to the United States and planned their return for the day the new rules took effect.
"We were asked if we had the ArriveCAN app and I said, ‘No I haven’t heard of it yet’ and she basically said, ‘Okay, well you guys are on quarantine now for 14 days,’” said Epps.
The couple stayed in the U.S. for less than 72 hours in order to qualify for a new exemption which lifts the testing requirement.
The problem is they didn’t know about the ArriveCAN app and they say they weren’t given a chance to download it and fill it out when they got to the border.
“I had to call in sick for the next 14 days at work and then Joel works in the Yukon so he’s home only for two weeks which is the rest of our quarantine and then he has to go right back to work,” Smith said.
They’re taking it all in stride but the couple said the unexpected quarantine has put a crinkle in their pre-Christmas plans.
“Considering it was the first day that new rules were implemented we definitely thought that we wouldn’t automatically be put into quarantine but that we would get a chance to at least fill it out,” Smith said.
They’re now waiting on the results of a COVID-19 test they had to take at home when they got back to Winnipeg and will have to take a second one on the eighth day of their quarantine.
At Mike’s Parcel Pickup in Pembina, N.D., Manitobans can order and pick up items from the U.S. that won’t ship to Canada.
Mason Peters, the shop’s owner, said the removal of testing requirements for short trips has been good for business.
“Biggest win in the last two years for our business and for our customers was the lifting of the PCR test,” said Peters. “For the last three days, it’s the first three days in two years that we’ve had real significant access to our customers again.”
But Peters said the ArriveCAN app has been causing some confusion for his Manitoba clients who make quick trips into the U.S. and then turn around and go home.
“I’ve spent the last hour today just helping someone who didn’t know how to fill out their ArriveCAN,” Peters said Thursday afternoon. “It really only takes about five minutes."
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) declined an interview on the issue but in an emailed statement, a spokesperson said the CBSA has been clear regarding the mandatory use of the ArriveCAN app.
“This has not changed with the adjustment of testing requirements for those who depart and re-enter the country within 72 hours of leaving Canada,” the CBSA spokesperson said.
You can download the ArriveCAN app for free from the Google Play Store or App Store for iPhone. A web version is also available for people who don’t have a smartphone.
You can find more information on the federal government’s website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
'Summer of discontent': Federal unions vow to fight new 3-day a week office mandate
Federal unions are launching legal challenges and encouraging public sector workers to file "tens of thousands" of grievances over the new mandate requiring federal workers to return to the office at least three days a week in the fall.
Watch fighter jet pilots pummel fake enemy ship off coast of Philippines
The United States and Philippines held annual joint-training drills just off the Southeast Asian nation’s western coast on Wednesday. Military forces sunk a 'mock' enemy warship – the BRP Lake Caliraya, which was a decommissioned tanker made in China.
'Ozempic babies': Reports of surprise pregnancies raise new questions about weight loss drugs
Numerous women have shared stories of 'Ozempic babies' on social media. But the joy some experience in discovering pregnancies may come with anxiety about the unknowns.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
'I killed four people': Trial hears video evidence of Jeremy Skibicki at Winnipeg trial
“I killed four people,” alleged serial killer Jeremy Skibicki told two homicide detectives during a recorded interview played as evidence in his trial Wednesday.
AstraZeneca says it will withdraw COVID-19 vaccine globally as demand dips
AstraZeneca said on Tuesday it had initiated the worldwide withdrawal of its COVID-19 vaccine due to a 'surplus of available updated vaccines' since the pandemic.
Seafood, eat food: Calgary Stampede releases Midway menu
The Calgary Stampede has released its menu of sweet, salty and spicy treats available on the Midway for the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.