The federal government has expanded its list of authorized quarantine hotels for travellers, but now tells pax to change their flight dates if a room isn't available on the day they are flying.
"If rooms are not available for their preferred dates, travellers must change their flight for a date when a government-authorized hotel is available," the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) told CTV News.
"A traveller who could not secure a room at a government-authorized hotel will be assessed by a quarantine officer and may be directed to a designated quarantine facility or another suitable place to quarantine," the agency said.
Ottawa has since expanded its list of approved quarantine hotels to 57, up from the original 22 when the program began on 22FEB.
Between that date and 04MAR, just 1.2 per cent of travellers have tested positive for COVID-19. A total of 21,939 people were tested and 267 cases of the virus were detected.
Meanwhile, the program continues to draw complaints from Canadians. One Ontario family returning from a trip to India complained that their $2,448 hotel quarantine bill for a one-night stay was excessive. They claimed the hotel increased the price by $621 when they checked in and forced them to pay adult rates for their eight-year-old son.
"It's price gouging at the top level," an angry Gaurav Arora told CTV News which reported other cases of travellers who experienced exorbitant pricing and complaints of overcharging.
PHAC says hotels set their own rates “and are subject to change.”
