Please, I have a question. How did you pay for the hotel from here? I am trying to do so but I have been told I need a credit card which I don’t have. I’ll appreciate answers from anyone who has gone through this process please. It’s urgent. WinterDreary:
Traveling has become a lot harder in the light of the new Covid guidelines introduced by the Canadian government. Now, not only do you have to provide a negative Covid test before departure from your country of origin, you also have to plan to quarantine at a hotel at your point of entry in Canada. Presently, there are only four points of entry available: Calgary, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. In addition, you have to plan to take a Covid test at your point of entry and at the end of your planned 14 days quarantine, if you test negative. If you test positive, you go into the government’s isolation center.
These restrictions came into effect on 22 February and my original departure flight from Lagos was on the next day. Out of sheer curiosity, I decided to not move my flight and to experience how these new restrictions will be. There was a lot of uncertainty on things like exemptions or on testing, but I felt it would be quite nice to gain the experience and talk to others about it. It was quite an experience indeed!
Booking the stopover hotel
The plan was to book the stopover hotel at Toronto before leaving Lagos. I was working with an estimated cost of $2000 as announced by the PM. But then, the bigger issue with the booking turned out not to be the cost, but conducting the actual booking. They provided just one phone number which anyone could call to do the booking. Expectedly, thousands were calling and wait times ran into hours. I was on the phone for a total of more than 60 hours, 3 hours each time after which the call would drop, before securing a booking. Eventually, I was able to book a room at Sheraton Gateway for a total of $1300 for the required 3 days.
I had read on Twitter that people were denied boarding who didn’t have a hotel booked. This made it more urgent for me to book the hotel. It appears many were unsuccessful with booking a room at any of the listed hotels, and I believe allowing such passenger to board remained dependent on the airline. Whatever the case, passengers who got to their initial destination in Canada would still have to book a place anyways. So, this is an important step.
Another important thing is the specific instruction on the government website to book a stopover hotel only by calling the provided number. Because this was difficult to achieve for some, they ended up booking directly with the hotel. I met a few persons at the airport who did this, and it seemed to work fine for them as they were allowed to go into the city.
Doing the Covid Test
The government instruction is to have a result 72 hours prior to departure flight to Canada. My flight was on a Monday out of Lagos, so I took the test on a Sunday, allowing enough time for 72 hours. Here, it is important to ensure the test is indeed 72 hours before your flight to Canada takes off. This means if you have a connecting flight before your last leg to Canada, you have to make sure the 72 hours is well covered. Airlines are becoming strict with this requirement and may ultimately not allow boarding if the timing is a little off, say you took the test on Saturday at 0900hrs while your flight to Canada from some other destination (Dubai, for example) leaves on Tuesday at 1500hrs. That’s more than 72 hours.
I met someone at the airport who had this issue and was almost not allowed to fly. So, you need to take special care.
The lady who took my nose swab in Lagos stuck it pretty deep I felt she was twirling my brain. That’s one experience I can’t forget in a hurry. The amazing thing, however, was the speed with which the result came out. Took much less than 24 hours.
Boarding the flight
After all the initial checks where they looked through your negative test result and ensured you have a hotel book, boarding the flight itself was not stressful at all.
Arriving in Canada
I guess this was where the next phase of checks began. Right after exiting the plane, we met a couple of border services officers who made sure we had the ArriveCAN details filled out and also that you had legal reasons to enter Canada (i.e. you are a permanent resident who isn’t coming for the first time, or a Canadian citizen). Afterwards, you go through the normal checks which include declaring what you have come with (food, money, etc.) and how long you have spent outside of Canada. Before allowing you entry into your first point of entry, they checked (using the confirmation code) that you have a hotel booked already and that you have your ArriveCAN details. I’m not exactly sure you’ll be allowed into the country if you do not have a hotel booked. Perhaps they’ll sort this out with you privately.
Once in the country you meet a couple of health professionals from SwitchHealth, at least in Toronto, who walk you through the process of getting tested. The flight was barely full since I’m guessing everyone decided against flying in these early days. So, there was no queue. You fill an online form which includes providing your details, including the address where you will be quarantining. Then they take you to a cubicle where a nose swab is taken. Once done, you are led to an area where you wait for the shuttle to the hotel, if you hotel is outside of the airport. The whole process was incredibly smooth with no delays. The nose swab I got this time was also very gentle.
At the hotel
Things start to progress a little more normally here. The hotel checks you in and provides you the new set of Covid guidelines you should follow while staying at the hotel. The most restrictive is that you only get 15mins outside your room each day while you await your test result. The most financially impactful is that you do not get a refund even if you spend less than 1-2 days at the hotel. Perhaps some hotels are offering refunds, but the one I stayed at (Sheraton Gateway) offered no refund.
There’s little to do at the hotel besides making calls to friends, watching TV, movies, reading, or eating. For food, there’s an order website where you place orders at different times of the day for the food you want. Your food is then dropped at your door. Everything is included in the original bill paid for the hotel. I paid $1300 for the hotel I stayed in. This included meals, cleaning, the room, and all others. For meals, there is a $125 charge which if you exceed you have to pay for out of pocket.
I left the hotel the next day after receiving my negative Covid result. Apparently, one could stay for longer until one uses up all the 3 days, but I had really no time to waste.
After leaving the hotel, connecting to the next destination was pretty straightforward. Westjet was generous enough to not charge me any additional fee for rebooking my flight after I told them I was in government-ordered quarantine. This looks like something they already have a standing procedure for and it seems they aren’t willing to burden people with additional fees.
At the house
This is where the remainder 14-day quarantine starts. You report daily your situation on the ArriveCAN app, telling the government that all is well with you. You are also not supposed to leave the house or come in contact with anyone else. This is where I am at the moment. After 14 days, another test follows. On arrival at the airport, I was given a home-test kit with which I will conduct the Covid test after 14 days. I don’t know how this goes yet, but my guess is that I’ll take the swab myself and someone will probably come pick it up. I’m yet to get there or to open the kit. When I do, I’ll update this post.
In the end, I spent about $1300 for the hotel and nothing more.
One more thing: one of the Westjet attendants I spoke to at the airport told me some Canadians and PR's were not booking hotels or staying in the 3-day quarantine. Instead, they were opting for the fines, which, according to him, was only $850, much less than the cost of the hotel. I haven't really looked into this claim myself, but I know there's been some storm lately on Twitter regarding rejecting the government-imposed quarantine. 2 Likes |
Travel / Re: Canadian Student Visa Thread Part 18 by Ayomide97: 8:55am On Apr 03, 2021