Canadian border reports turning back 100 people a day at border — mostly Americans
More than 100 people a day, mostly Americans, are being turned back by Canadian authorities while the border between the two countries is closed to non-essential travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a Vancouver (B.C) Sun story.
In a July 15 story, the Sun reported that 11,835 people had been turned away at the U.S. border because they were attempting to cross the border to shop or visit as tourists or for other activities deemed non-essential.
Not surprisingly, 87.2% (10,329) travelers were U.S. citizens, the Sun reported.
Of the 11,835 people turned away, the Canadian Border Services Agency reported 2,840 were coming to sight see, 1,333 had plans to recreate, 583 said they were doing some non-essential forms of shopping and the other 5,573 had reasons described as “other,” according to the Sun.
Depsite those that are stopped, Reuters.com detailed what it called a “Leaky border,” as a number of Americans have crossed, and there is even a case of a new cluster of COVID-19 cases in Prince Edward Island after a foreign exchange student from the U.S. went to the area.
Violating self-isolation rules
As of July 9, the Public Health Agency of Canada had referred 21,422 travelers returning to Canada to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for failing to verify they had properly quarantined, according to a story by the Daily Hive of Vancouver, B.C.
According to a July 20 Vancouver Sun story, 4,367 people have been referred to law enforcement by British Columbia’s COVID-19 wellness check call center. Although the federal government is responsible for follow-up and enforcement, the province makes approximately 1,800 to 2,500 calls per day to self-isolated travelers.
Canada requires mandatory self-isolation for 14 day for Canadian citizens returning to the country during the coronavirus pandemic.
If travelers cannot be reached or do not comply, they are referred to local law enforcement for follow up, though the health agency told the Daily Hive that these measures are not meant to be punitive. Law enforcement can then issue verbal or written warning prior to issuing a ticket under the Quarantine Act.
“The measures taken under the Quarantine Act, including mandatory isolation for incoming travelers, have been put in place to reduce the risk of travel-introduced cases of COVID-19. These measures have been essential to slowing the spread of the virus within Canada’s borders,” the Public Health Agency of Canada said in a statement to the Daily Hive.
American boaters fined
Two American boaters, one a whale-watching vessel, received $1,000 fines from the Canadian Border Services Agency for violating the Quarantine Act, according to a press release by the British Columbia Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
One of the boaters crossed into Canadian waters on July 10, according to the story, stating they planned to travel to Alaska, but the Royal Canadian Mounted Police found they were in the area as tourists.
On July 17, an American whale-watching vessel also crossed the border and was escorted back to U.S. waters.
“Boaters found illegally within Canadian waters may face severe penalties, including fines, seizure of their vessels and/or criminal charges. Upon being served with a fine, the offending boaters will be excluded from Canadian waters and may face other restrictions from CBSA, such as future access to Canadian waters,” the release stated. “Quarantine Act offenses could lead to up to 6 months in prison and/or $750,000 in fines.”
According to a story by The Province, the two boats that were fined were not the only Americans to cross the border via water. A group of retirees have tracked American boats stopping at Canadian marinas, sometimes for days, through a marine traffic website. The group estimated there have been as many as 100 illegal boats in the past month.
Checking for exposure
British Columbians can now check online to see if they might have been exposed to COVID-19 while out in public.
According to a CBC story, the province’s five health authorities all have websites listing where recent public exposure may have occurred.
“By doing so, we can reduce the number of possible exposures to COVID-19 and ensure we are protecting the most vulnerable members of our communities as well as ourselves and our loved ones,” Fraser Health interim chief medical health officer Dr. Elizabeth Brodkin said in a news release.
While Fraser Health currently does not list any exposure events, the Vancouver Coastal Health and Interior Health sites each list several potential exposure events.
Feeling isolated
Point Roberts is not the only community feeling likes it’s on an island since the U.S.-Canadian border was closed to non-essential travel on March 21 in an effort by the two countries to slow the coronavirus pandemic.
This week Whatcom County District 5 Chief Christopher Carleton wrote a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other state and federal officials imploring them to find a way to ease the travel restrictions. In his letter he said Point Roberts citizens are “living under the equivalent of house arrest.”
But they are not the only ones feeling that way.
Minnesota’s Northwest Angle — a bump at the top of the state located on Lake of the Woods, also finds itself isolated from the rest of the United States because of the border closure.
Like Point Roberts, residents of the Northwest Angle, which is known as a haven for sportsmen most summers, has had to get creative in how to get back and forth between to the mainland. According to the Newton County Enterprise finding a boat to cross Lake of the Woods is the best option.
But even with that option, the area is taking a big hit in tourism, KSTP.com reported.
“It’s eerie ... it’s definitely eerie to be up here right now,” Haley Olson, with Flag Island Resort, told KSTP. “I’m used to seeing and talking to hundreds of people a day.”
This story was originally published July 25, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
